Of Dreams and Memories
by Yanslana
Summary: COMPLETE Orochimaru's cursed seal, Tsunade's first kiss, Jiraiya's apology, and the name... Umino. Before everything... he was. Ranma & Naruto crossover
1. Search

**_Of Dreams and Memories_**

_Ranma 1/2/Naruto Crossover_

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

Dedicated to Evil Kasumi (Lizmun), because without her and Midnight Confessions, this piece of writing would not have existed.

**Part One - Search**

The heat was becoming more and more choking, the sun a bright yellow orb against the clear blue sky, striking merciless rays of light from the heavens above. The strong odor of cooking oil surrounded him, and the ancient oven providing the heat to the stove creaked, the fire roaring angrily before releasing a blast of heat hot enough to cause serious burns. It was beginning to become quite bothersome.

Sighing, the young man wiped his forehead with a wet cloth, grimacing at the slick feeling of sweat, the smell of male musk heavy in his nose. He resisted the urge to sneeze, instead picking up the spatula, black with soot from the grill, and turned away from the sizzling rice. Forcing a smile on tired muscle as he called out in a loud voice over the racket of noon rush hour, "One oyakodon domburi, coming right up!"

Dressed in casual pants with the leg rolled up to his shins and a pair of cheap sandals; a white tank-top soaked with sweat clinging to every contour and curve of the well-defined muscles across his back, a single, tiny black smear between his shoulder blades, semi-visible from under the drenched fabric; and an once-clean apron smudged with cooking oil and a variety of sauce and seasonings. His face dirty from the smoke, the young man nevertheless elude a sense of presence that caused the larger than average number of female customers to visit the small restaurant for a dish of rather fine cooking from a small road-side eatery like this, as well as satisfying the eye with a sweet dish of ogling the handsome new cook as he move back and forth within the tiny confinement of the open-kitchen, deftly twisting aside to avoid another blast of hot air from the protesting oven. Wielding the small spatula as he begins to flip the half dozen okonomiyaki as they sizzled merrily on the main grill, another flicker of his wrist squirted a splash of soy sauce on to the mix, turning the golden dough into a delicious shade of brown.

"Hey you, break, take five!" A jovial voice called out to the young man, amidst the exaggerated groans of disappointment from a trio of giggling teen girls, an older man stepped up to the cooking area with a friendly smile to the youth with a casual slap to the back.

"Been busy, eh?" His inquiry was unanswered. The younger cook had stumbled forward from the soft force of the slap, only quick reflex saved his face from a too close encounter with the grill, instead, the ends of his pigtail was whipped against the heated metal with a sizzling hiss.

Unconsciously, calloused hand tightened around the handle of the spatula, whether from anger or frustration, a quick breath of a sigh, the young man brushed off his co-worker's apology and concern, shaking his head ruefully, lips quirking upward in a mock smile of a private joke. He pried fingers that had gone stiff from clenching the handle of the spatula, and handed the utensil to the other cook with a nod before stepping aside into the shadow of the nearby building, temporarily free from the choking heat, and the constant glare of the sun.

Crossing his arms across his chest, never minding the stick feeling of grease and sweat rubbing uncomfortably against his skin, pointedly ignoring the few appreciative gazes being thrown his way, his eyes downcast to a clump of dirt by his feet. Ranma Saotome, heir to the School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, son of Genma and Nodoka Saotome, fiancée to Akane Tendo, and the prominent figure to what was known as the infamous Nerima Wrecking Crew, resisted the urge to fall to his knees and cry.

It was a strange, yet familiar feeling for him, to miss something that he had always taken for granted, never realizing its important until the absolute loss, depriving him from everything. _Although… this did happen before, but not like this…Not like this._

A wry smile shaping the curve of his lips, Ranma closed stormy gray-blue eyes, dull from weariness, running a hand through hair slick with sweat as he shook himself from his dark broodings, giving the ends of his pigtail a firm tug.

_One step at a time._

Biting back a bitter chuckle, he stood straight, his back leaving the cooling comfort of the mortar, ready to tackle the drudgery of his current job anew.

-------

The sun was barely peeking from the horizon by the end of his shift, as he accepted a small stack of bills with a thankful nod. Making a few quick mental calculations, and adding the amount in his hands with the stash that he had saved in the past few months, he figured he had a reasonable number to cover the next step of his journey.

"Your last day, ain't it?" The older cook, who was dressed in a similar outfit to Ranma's current chef get-up, with a bandana tied around his forehead, asked the younger man with a friendly smile, his curiosity getting the better of him.

The younger man had arrived at their village over a month ago, his clothes worn and dirty from traveling. Introducing himself to the chief of the village as 'Ranma', with no clan name given, he had claimed to be a wanderer from the eastern isles, who had found himself in a difficult situation when a sudden sickness had emptied his pockets, leaving him with little means to support himself.

The village had been suspicious of the stranger at the beginning, comments on his travel-worn, but healthy-looking physique, unblemished by sickness, and his rather 'unique' ability in transformation. Rumors of him being a Nukenin from the Hidden Mist running from prosecution soon began to float around the village, which had gotten serious enough for a delegation from the very village itself to pay a special visit to the young man, and after a day of closed-door meeting between the chief of their village, Hiroshi, Ranma and the two delegates, alleged to be Jounin-leveled ninja by several gossipers in the village, the delegates had left the village the next morning with a distinct lacking of blood-shedding, thus the rumors had subsided within a week's time.

He had soon offered himself to all sorts of work around the village, doing any kind of job available, whether it be weeding some old lady's abandoned garden, or delivering milk for the nearby farms. Though despite his constant presence around the village for the past month, little was known about the boy, he spoke when necessary, spent his free time in solitude, and remained oblivious, or perhaps indifferent, to the appreciative gazes from several young girls around the village, much to the relief of their parents.

He had applied himself to the restaurant a week ago, when the apprentice cook had taken ill from a fever, and proving to be rather exceptional at culinary, attracting a larger than average number of customers in the past few days.

Working close to Ranma, the cook has discovered that the younger man was rather… weak. Perhaps his alleged sickness was true after all, seeing how unsteady he was on his feet, especially in the presence of a crowd.

"Yeah…" Ranma croaked, snapping the older man out of his musings as he took the offered water with a smile of thank. Silence ensued.

"Where are you heading next, boy?" The cook inquired once more, when it became apparent that the pigtailed man was not going to share any information without some prodding.

_"Where are you going, boy?" Genma frowned, hands on his hips as the over-weighted man demanded, "We've training to do."_

Blue eyes looked down, the glass empty, making a soft 'clink' as it was placed down on the table. "The Fire Country." Ranma said. His face unreadable, though his posture bore both anticipation, as well as nervousness; it was a dangerous time, after all.

"Eh?" The older man blinked, concerned, "Why there? That country is at war right now! Dangerous, boy." He shook his head, chewing on the toothpick, "You're better off laying low here, the Wave may be poor and small, but we're not being bothered. We could use a good cook like yourself here. 'Sides," the chef grinned, "Old man Hiroshi's daughter has her eyes on you, so…" He trailed off suggestively, wriggling his eyebrows.

"I know. Thank you for your concern." Ranma smiled back, a mere twitch of muscles around his mouth.

Determination. Blue eyes hardening in resolve "But there is something very important that I am looking for."

TIMELINE – Year Three, mid-May.

* * *

And I promised myself that I won't post this until it's one hundred percent complete, and after Lizzie posts the first chapter of Whispers... dammit. I need better promises, and something to smash the writer's block. 

Chapter lengths are going to be consistant, 'n all, as well as the updating, of course. Though the style of writing is not, since I've discovered new and interesting perspectives after this scene was written, a month ago. Don't expect much descriptions later on, since this story will focus more on the moment of emotion/feeling aspect, meaning that there will be a lot more going on than what's written and said. A lot.

C&C welcome.


	2. Found

**Part Two - Found**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

Rain.

Step. Step. Plop. Pause. Step. Step. Step. Step. Slosh. Pause. Sigh. Step. Step. Step. Step. Step. Step. SPLAT.

A pregnant pause, accompanied by the endless rain; mercilessly pounding from the dark heavens above, soaking the petite redhead to the bone.

Ranma glared down with murderous intent, specifically, at the point where her foot sank knee-deep into a hole, probably dug by some paranoid rabbit with too much time on its hands. Though the intensity of the glare only made him, or rather, her, in all her drenched glory-shoulders hunched, one knee bent awkwardly, and strands of fiery red clinging to her mud-splattered face and forehead-appeared cute, in a helpless fashion. Not that there were a soul around to admire Ranma's sodden femininity.

A large vein began to throb on her temple. The glare doubled in intensity.

Rain. Silence. Defeat.

Ranma uttered a soft curse under her breath and sat down on the muddy ground, "Why not? It's not like I'll get any dirtier."

Ironic, that a month ago, she received the blistering heat from the Wave Country, while now, in a land named after heat and flames, she was treated to the bone-chilling rain.

Raising his face skyward, Ranma closed her eyes, accepting the chilling kisses from above. Liquid trailed down her face, washing away the mud and grime, creating streaks of their own.

Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. Warm… Cold. Cold. Warm… and salty against her tongue.

Sighing, she opened her eyes, planting both hands against the ground to support herself, and wretched out her foot from the mud hole with a heavy grunt.

_There, that wasn't too bad…_

…And stare in incomprehension at her naked, bared foot, caked with slimy mud and decaying vegetation.

Glaring never helps. She decides after another long moment of silence and immobility.

_One step at a time._

Scooting forward, she stuck her arm into the hole, it was deep enough to her shoulder, and began the tedious task of fishing her slipper and sock from a mud-filled rabbit hole, all the while chanting her mantra silently in her mind.

"Can we help you with something, miss?" An unfamiliar voice inquired politely behind her back, loud and clear, despite the pounding rain.

Startled, Ranma twisted back, her mouth forming an automatic loud 'no'; she almost had it in her hand, and froze, as several things popped in her mind.

1) They were two people.

2) They were staring at her in an expected manner.

3) They were both garbed in very familiar outfits.

4) They both wore a metallic headband with a crest that looked like a leaf.

Pulling her arm out of the mud hole with another loud 'splat', she stepped unevenly towards the two shinobi, ignoring the feeling of rocks under her bare foot, small pains.

"Hidden Leaf Village?" Hope. Painful anticipation.

The lead shinobi shared a look with his companion, unsure of what to make of this petite girl-child. Dangerous times. Yet…

"We are."

A slim hand snatched his arm with impossible speed, smearing mud and bits of rotten vegetation; blue eyes stared into his from mere inches away. Before he could even realize her too close presence, and respond to this threat.

Desperation.

"I need your help."

-------

Ranma stood in the center of the room. Clad in a simple black sweater and dark pants, a pair of new slippers on his feet, his traditional pigtail, still wet from the blissfully warm shower, weighted heavily at the back of his head.

Silence. Followed by the rustling of papers.

The older man looked up from his seat in front of Ranma, frowning. The trio of ninja around him tensed in various states: the man with the blood-like tear marks down his cheeks being the most obvious, who had immediately placed his hand on the handle of a kunai, the ash blond woman uncrossed her arms, and the last, a pale man whose face was half-hidden by long raven hair, had stood a little straighter. Then the three relaxed as the man gestured to Ranma with a hand.

"I seek the Hyuuga Clan, of the Hidden Leaf's assistance." Ranma stated, blue eyes flickering from the silent milky-eye man to the sitting Hokage next to him.

Another ripple of tension pass through the room.

This is it. His last, and only chance. He took a deep breath, calming his rapidly beating heart.

_One step at a time._

The Hyuuga Clan, while not of extreme secrecy, reserved their dealings betweens other ninja. For a simple man to march straight into the Hidden Leaf's territory, and named out the Hyuuga with little hesitation. A third party was definitely involved, the question is…

"By whom?" Silk and velvet. Fresh pine with the tang of musky moss. A serpentine hiss. Short, and to the point. Although he stood in a position deferential to the Hokage, his pale face half hidden in shadows, and seemed to be within the same age as Ranma, he carried himself in a casual, yet imposing way that commanded obedience, or pain.

"The Village of the Hidden Mist." Ranma replied calmly, unflinching from the arrogant tone, in another time, he would have mocked and taunted, and soon engage himself in a pointless battle. In another time. He did, however, notice the looks exchanged around the room after his announcement.

"You're not of the Mist." This time, it was the young woman who voiced out her comment. She glared at him, after seeing his look of surprise, almost daring him to deny her accusation.

"No." Ranma murmured. "I came from an eastern island." True. "That neighbored the Hidden Mist." False.

Silence.

The Hokage had his arms crossed, leaning back in his chair, and eyeing him, along with his trio of students with interest in his eyes. His silent, milky-eyed companion pulling off a good imitation of a statue by his side.

_So, it's Lesson of the Day: How to handle a could-be threat, eh?_

Silence stretched, became incredibly bored and lonely, and was promptly broken by what seems to be the most brash out of the three.

"Say something, damn you! Are you a spy from the Hidden Mist?!" The white-haired young man with red markings down his cheeks yelled impatiently, smacking the wall loudly with the palm of his hand, then wilted when five pairs of eyes shifted to him, ranging from fond amusement to 'you're embarrassing me' death glare.

"I'm just saying…" He wilted even more as the woman's glare intensified. Their pale companion looked away with a smirk, mouthing something that sounded suspiciously like 'fool' under his breath.

A soft cough brought their attention to the previously silent Hyuuga elder, finally, the man has destatue-lized to the living world.

Seeing that he has the room's full attention, the Hyuuga spoke, addressing to Ranma in a crisp manner, "What is your purpose with my clan?"

_"There is little I could do for you, Ranma-san. The mark you bare may be passive, yet it affects the inner Chakra flows of your body in such complexity that with all my knowledge, I stand helpless." Pause. "Though perhaps… have you heard of the Byakugan?"_

"I was told that the Hyuuga Clan residing in the Fire Country, and carried a powerful bloodline that allows them to detect the Chakra paths of all living beings."

Simple. Yet it raised even more questions.

The Hyuuga shared a look with the Hokage, receiving a nod before he stepped forward, hands performing the seal of the tiger; veins appeared around his eyes, and the irises became visible within those milky depths.

_Creepy._ Ranma stared back, resisting the urge to flinch.

Concentration. Examination. Surprise.

"Ahhh…" The man started, releasing the seal. Curious looks were shot his way, soon turning to annoyance when the man refused to comment more.

A brief moment of silence.

"He is of no threat to the Hidden Leaf, Hokage-sama." The Hyuuga elder commented in a tone touched with fascinating to the Hokage before addressing Ranma. "Hyuuga Hiashi, am I correct in assuming that you seek us in search of a…"

"…Cure." Ranma finished, ignoring the startled looks from the trio, though the Hokage's poker face was starting to get on his nerves. His once calm and collect demeanor giving away to relief, hope and anticipation causing him to stutter his next question, "C-can you… will you… can you restore my strength?"

Calculation.

"Difficult to say at this point." Hiashi replied automatically, seeing Ranma's face, he added, "Though perhaps a member of my clan trained in the medic field could provide better insight."

Pause. A side gaze. Inquiry. "Hokage-sama?" _Is there anything else?_

"The reports I received stated that you were female." The Hokage commented, flipping the pathetically few sheaves of paper.

A few eyebrows rose at that comment, then slide to the youth in the center of the room with unmasked interest.

Ranma tensed, then, deliberately relaxing his shoulders, he shrugged, the lie casually slipping pass his tongue, practice makes perfect. "It's… my bloodline."

"Oh?" Curiosity. Pause. "You still haven't given us your name."

Consideration. A flash of inspiration. A wry smile that spoke both bitterness and amusement.

"Ranma." _Saotome._ "Of the Village of Jusenkyou."

-------

TIMELINE - Year Three, early July.

* * *

No, Hyuuga Hiashi isn't the twin, he's their father, clan elder, whatever. 

Talking to Lizzie is wonderful! Wonderful!


	3. Burn

**Part Three - Burn**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

Pain ate its way down his naked back, coursing through his body in agonizing waves that made him scream… on the inside. Beads of sweat rolled down his chest, his body felt as if it were on fire, piercing heat from that single blemish between his shoulder blades, which he had became oh-so-familiar with in the months past, digging deep into the bones, then burrowing its way to every nerve within his body.

His jaw sore and hurting from clenching his teeth too hard, and the coppery tang threatened to spilt itself from the back of his throat. His fingers dug into the seat of the stool, and held on.

"You may relax now." A soft voice murmured by his ear. And he felt the physical sharpness of pain receding.

Ranma gasped, a shudder going through his lean frame, hunching forward in the stool, he wrapped his arms around himself in a vain attempt to control the after-spasms that shook his body.

Heavy panting, mixed with painful hisses filled the room. Its other occupant choosing silence while Ranma regain his composure.

"'ow'd ra du?" Ranma warbled, a hand cupped around his jaw, wincing at the bursts of soreness as he rubbed along its side.

The medic-nin paused in cleaning her needles. "Your pain tolerance is exceptional."

Ranma frowned, crossing his arms across bare chest, droplets of sweat still lingered on his skin, despite the fading pain, "And?"

She wrapped up the needles carefully, then slipped them into the small pouch, soft rustling filled the room as she gathered up the rest of her equipment with practical efficiency.

"Please." It stung, for him to utter that word. Though the medic-nin did stop, one step from the door.

"I need to know." Desperation.

A soft sigh. She wavered. And turned back.

Pulling out a chair from the side, the woman sat down across from him, her pouch landing onto the table with a dull 'clunt'. "What do you wish to know?"

Blue eyes locked into milky-white.

"Everything."

-------

_"I will never be able to restore your full strength."_

Ranma pushed the door open, staggering out of the building in a daze.

_"The mark on your back, simple as it may, has severely disrupted the Chakra within your body."_

He twisted to the right, his sandals barely making a sound against the cobblestone walk, passing a small group of shinobi, who had gone quiet as he drew near.

_"While the Byakugan given me the ability to follow the pathways of your Chakra, there remained several difficulties for a 'cure'."_

Distantly, he could hear the conversation picking up behind him, not that he cared to listen. A few more steps, and he turned again, slipping into a busier street.

_"First, there is nothing I can do to directly restore your strength. For one, the way your body stores and reacts to Chakra befuddles me. And even with the Byakugan, I could not fully comprehend the complexity of this mark on your Chakra pathways, simply due to the fact that it works in such a passive manner, I am unable to distinct what is, and what isn't."_

He slowed down his march to a lighter pace, taking care not to bump into any of the pass-bys, and breathed a soft sigh of relief when another turn brought him to a shadowed ally. The sun had been harsh in his eyes.

_She raised a hand, forestalling his denial, "-However-, given the times that I've studied your body and Chakra these past weeks, there is another option."_

The ally wasn't much better than the crowded street, Ranma decided after a moment. He was pretty sure he had stepped on something unpleasant a moment ago.

_"By opening certain Chakra points on your body," She gestured to her pouch, "I am able to re-direct a number of non-disrupted Chakra pathways within your body to override the mark, very briefly," She paused, "Given time, and extensive treatment, perhaps it will become permanent."_

He paused in front of the tiny apartment the Hokage had arranged for him, his forehead resting against the door; a headache was beginning to pound between his eyes.

_"It will be painful." She stated, "But…" Picking up the stool he had sat on, she flipped it over, showing him eight long depressions on the steel frame, his fingerprint. "Effective."_

Coughing back hysteria laughter, Ranma shook out his keys, jamming one into the lock; his hands were shaking as he unlocked the door, pulling it open.

_"How long?" He asked, flexing his fingers, recalling the vague feeling of steel softening like mush under his hand in that moment, when the pain became almost unbearable._

_It was almost impossible to read sympathy in those milky-eyes, but he did._

_"Years."_

The door slammed shut behind him.

-------

His fingers fitted smoothly into the depressions on the seat of the stool. _Too well._ He thought, prying the stiff appendages loose. His entire body ached, and Ranma was content in holding his position, at least until his knees stops shaking.

"How did I do?"

The medic-nin looked up from her needles, "Better."

Silence. Footstep.

"I've found a medium." She said, standing in front of him, "We can begin the treatment anytime now. Though…" She trailed off, milky-eyes focused on his face. Expectation.

Ranma nodded, breathing a sigh of relief, then winced as his body shook along with the tiny tremor, "I will speak with the Hokage tomorrow."

She gathered up her things and left without a word, leaving Ranma alone in the room to wait out the pain.

Silence. A noise at the door.

Ranma looked up, sunshine poked its head into the door, and stared back.

"Hi?" The woman from his first day offered, brushing away sun-kissed locks that had strayed into her eyes as she bounced into the room. She wore the same pale green kimono that brought out the color of her warm golden-brown eyes, with loose sleeves that occasionally revealed her slim arms, despite the cooling weather.

Ranma blinked, frowning slightly to himself at her look of interest.

"I'm Tsunade." She started, "You remember me, right?" He continued to stare. Tsunade continued, unperturbed by his silence. "I saw you coming and leaving here several times. Guess you really are looking for help, and not a spy, eh?"

He hissed softly, and she blinked, surprised as he clenched his teeth.

"You're in pain." Statement. A hand, glowing with Chakra, was pressed against his back, blissful coolness spread from the point of contact, numbing the fire that had course through his body.

Ranma stood, breaking the touch as fingers lingered on the kanji burnt between his shoulder blades, "Thank you." He moved his arms, rolling his shoulders, a slight twinge, and nothing more.

"You're welcome." Tsunade grinned, pleased with herself. "I'll be completing my training as medic-nin soon. But that's only because the old geezer wanted me to have more 'practice experience'."

Silence. Ranma pulled on his shirt, giving his pigtail a tug.

"So, Jusenkyou."

"Yes."

"Not a spy then?"

"…No."

"Good." Tsunade smirked, golden-brown eyes gleaming with delight, "Jiraiya owes me money." A hand snatched his arm, "Come on, you can help me collect it."

"Eh?"

-------

Ranma stared.

The room was dark and dingy, the air smelling faintly of smoke. Thankfully, Tsunade had dragged him to a relatively empty corner of the room, a tiny window shedding a single square of sunshine on the table, where two others sat.

The white-haired man, Jiraiya, slumped over the table, bottles that looked suspiciously like sake littered around him.

"Jiraiya!" Ranma winced as Tsunade screamed, almost in his ear. Marching over purposefully, she grabbed Jiraiya by the front of his shirt, dragging the teen up, nose to nose, "Are you drinking again?! You're setting a bad example for your team of kids!"

"They ain't here, 'sides, it's a fucking bar, you bi… oh, hey." Jiraiya broke off, looking pass his fuming companion, jabbing a finger at Ranma "You're that guy the old man was talking about, aren't you?"

A quirked eyebrow, and Tsunade quickly sat down, ducking guiltily from Ranma's look of amused inquiry.

"I'm Jiraiya." The man boasted, sounding remarkably sober despite the number of sake he had, striking an arm in the air, "The most amazing ninja in the north, sound, west, and eastern land! Jounin instructor to the best Gennin team ever!" A goofy, but friendly grin, and he plop down into his seat.

"Orochimaru! 'Ey! Orochimaru!" Jiraiya's kicked on his chair when the other man-sitting in the farthest corner of the table, a single bottle, barely touched, sat in front of him-refused to acknowledge his presence, and Ranma winced at the groaning wood, surprised that the chair did not immediately collapse into a heap of rubble. Jiraiya pounded on the table, the bottles shuddering with every impact, "Introduce yourself, you arrogant prick!"

Orochimaru rolled his eyes, which were almost hidden behind his hair, pooling loosely around his face. He uncrossed his arms with deliberate slowness, "Why should I? You've already screeched it loud enough for the entire village to hear." A slight tilt of his chin. Mocking gold locked into stormy blue.

_Inhuman._

Ranma suppressed a shiver, but refused to look away, Orochimaru smirked, amused. Standing up, he dragged the bottle over, the ceramic end scraping along the uneven tabletop. Pushing the untouched bottle into Ranma's hands with calculated delicacy. A single, soft whisper. "Welcome."

Crisp pine, and the tang of musky moss.

Ranma stared at the bottle for a moment, then into the interested face of the trio. He tilted his head back, and let the liquid fire burnt its way down his throat.

-------

TIMELINE - Year Three, late November.

* * *

From the comments that I received so far on the story, I've came to the realization that it's... confusing. There were some pretty interesting speculations, while most of them were close to the mark, well, none hit the nail right on the head. So, I thought I should clarify some things, then I though, 'heck with it, it'll all be revealed... in time'.

So yeah.


	4. Gone

**Part Four - Gone**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

_Akane gave him a sweet smile._

_Ranma hesitated from the windowsill, drinking in the sight of her. He would never admit it aloud, but she looked very cute when she's smiling._

_Absorbed, he didn't notice the book bag until it was too late._

_"Ranma you pervert!"_

Consciousness came to him slowly, tickled by a lingering scent, sinking its claws within the senselessness of sleep, gently reeling his mind from the numbing abyss. The last dredges of dream fading away gently to naught as he became aware of the waking world.

Sunlight filtered from the half-opened windows, sneaking annoying rays of light against his eyelids, which soon turned into needles of driving pain.

"Ugh." Ranma grunted, putting an arm over his face, thankful for the darkness, the skin of his forearm offering a brief moment of coolness before it was warmed by the contact against his forehead.

Patting around the headboard, his other hand came in contact with a round, metallic object, he pulled it over to cradle against his cheek. Slowly, he peeked from under his arm, wincing at the glaring light, his head felt stuffy, and a steady pounding was beginning behind his eyelids, a bitter taste lingered in his mouth.

Nine-fifty-two. The clock read.

Ranma's stomach heaved, dropping the clock beside him, he clapped his hands against his mouth, swallowing the urge to vomit out the bile that had rose at the back of his throat.

He was going to be late.

Cursing loudly, the pigtailed man pushed himself into a sitting position, the sheets falling down from his bare chest, pooling around his lap. Regret came immediately, as the pounding doubled in his head, turning into a full force headache, even his pigtail felt heavy, pulling down on his scalp. Opening sore eyes, he scanned the room blearily, trying to recall the events of day past, and the exact cause of his current state of misery.

The chilling morning breeze brushed past the opened window, tickling Ranma's face. His clothes lay in a neat stack on one of the chairs; with the sandals he had grown use to wearing in the past few months under the chair. A cup of hot coffee, he judged from the faint scent, sat on the small stand next to the chair, with Orochimaru occupying the other chair, his legs crossed nonchalantly, examining the scroll in his hand with idle attention. And the door leading to the kitchen was ha…

_Wait a minute._ Ranma blinked. Then blinked again, and rubbed his eyes for good measure.

Nothing changed. Except Orochimaru had placed the scroll away, eyeing Ranma back with an amused smirk on his face.

"Uh…" Ranma stated intelligently.

He was going to be very late.

A quirked eyebrow was his respond.

"Uh…" Ranma tried again._ Why are you in my room?_

"Orochimaru!" A soft, yet forceful hiss, followed by Tsunade as she poked her head from the door leading to the kitchen, beckoning to her companion frantically.

"Stop lazing off and help me! I think Jirai…" Her eyebrows twitching in annoyance when Orochimaru merely picked up the cup of coffee, and took a deliberately slow sip.

"Orochimaru!" Tsunade hissed again, then blinked, as the pale man looked away, following his line of sight…

Blink. Blink.

"Oh, you're awake." Tsunade gave Ranma what he was beginning to dub as the 'Guilty Smile': her face scrunched up, her eyes narrowing to tiny slits, while peeking at him from under her lashes.

Ranma pulled the sheets around him as he came to the realization that he was clad only in his boxers under the cover, stoically resisting the urge to yelp and dive for his clothes. Thankfully, his mind is still reeling from the shock of waking up to one snake-like ninja for him to properly panic at the 'girl in my room and I'm half-naked' part.

Continuing to flash two rows of perfect white teeth, Tsunade slowly pulled away, "Well, Jiraiya's late for his team, and I uhh… need to uhh… take him over there! We'll just be going then, bye!"

Slam.

Ranma winced, clutching his head with both hands at the loud bang. _What the heck just happened?!_

Fingers pressed against his forehead lightly, before he could jerk away, chilliness, almost painful in its own right, sank from the touch against his skin, dulling the pounding headache swiftly, and leaving a stinging soreness in its wake.

Fresh pine and wet moss, Ranma realized, slowly raising his head, hinting the sharp tang of reptilian musk. Fitting, for a man named 'Orochimaru'.

Serpentine eyes looked down to wide blue. Golden cold in calculation, judging and weighting Ranma for all his worth. Eyes that seemed to expand, veiling the threaten to tear him apart, and expose every weakness with malicious glee.

Fear.

_Genjutsu._ Ranma's mind supplied, and somewhere within him, dark and angry and sad and destructive and full of lament, laughed. However bitterly.

_Challenge accepted._

Ranma glared back, unflinching. Noting the man who stood in front of him. Tall, perhaps an inch or so than Ranma, raven-dark hair, slightly longer than his, loose instead of tied in a pigtail, half-covering a lean face, a stark contrast against his pale, pale skin, the only color that Ranma could detect being the twin streaks of purple, shadowing those serpentine eyes. Curious, that he wore a loose haori over a black mesh-shirt, instead of the black and green uniforms of the Hidden Leaf ninja… now that he thought about it, neither did his two friends.

Gold looked away first; a hint of admiration within its depth, and the sharpness in the air, one that Ranma hadn't even realized existed, vanished.

_Small victory._

He choked back a startled gasp, his shoulders shaking involuntarily for a mere moment before he forcefully stilled himself. _Genjutsu, definitely Genjutsu._

His mind reeling from the after effect, dazed blue eyes watched Orochimaru slithered to the kitchen door, pushing it open. "Tsunade and Jiraiya left." He murmured, glancing the room beyond, "By the window, it seems."

Click. The door closed, much more gently than Tsunade had.

A scroll was suddenly thrust in Ranma's face, he recognize it to be the one Orochimaru had been reading earlier. "Mind I borrow this?"

Silence. Confusion.

"Your generosity is overwhelming." Orochimaru said dryly, tucking the scroll in his robe before Ranma could voice his agreement, or denial.

"By the way, Tsunade made you breakfast, though I think Jiraiya burnt the soup." Seeing Ranma's look, Orochimaru shrugged, almost casual, "Don't ask me."

A soft pop. And Ranma was alone.

-------

"I apologize for my delay, Hokage-sama." Ranma gritted out through a pounding headache. _Bad day._

"It's fine," The older man gestured with a hand, his attention on the thick stack of reports on his desk, "I understand that three of my students paid you an extended visit yesterday."

"Aye." His hands clenched into fists by his side, Ranma nodded obediently. _Just get it over with already._ "Hokage-sama…"

A raised hand forestalled his words, as the Hokage finally looked up from the paperwork, "Ranma of Jusenkyou." Inquiry.

"Aye." Tense.

"No such village existed in the Water Country." Reprimand.

"Perhaps the Hidden Leaf hadn't looked close enough." Deliberate casualness.

"Hmm…" The older man stroked his goatee thoughtfully, "Your secrecy is less than helpful, Ranma, if that is who you say you are. As Hokage, I am under the obligation of protecting the Hidden Leaf Village, that obligation outweighs any personal opinions I may, or may not have on this matter…"

_Akane gave him a sweet smile…_

"I understand, Hokage-sama." Ranma cut in, he took a deep breath, rolling tense shoulders.

_One step at a time._

"Tell me what is required of me."

And that dream… shattered.

-------

TIMELINE – Year Three, late November.

* * *

More confusion, wai!

Is it wrong to enjoy the speculations about this story?

I hope not. Since I truly am interested in what others have thought will happen in the future.

On a completely unrelated note, formatting's giving me lots of trouble... somebody, help? Please?


	5. Care

**Part Five - Care**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

Ranma rolled down his shirt with a muffled groan, his hands shaking as he patted down the dark cotton around his hips, the pain was ever constant, burning and tearing along his back. Experience told him that it will fade within an hour or two, the fact eased him, if only a little.

"Was it you?" He whispered the question that had plagued him, caged by the presence of his guards for almost every single moment of his living, breathing existence he felt he was going to snap into a mass of dark hysteria, until he finally worked up the courage to demand.

Pause, followed by a small nod.

"Why?"

The medic-nin's hand shook for a moment, before she resumes wrapping up her pouch of acupuncture needles, milky-eyes deliberately kept away from him. "I am a ninja of the Hyuuga Clan, of the Hidden Leaf, Ranma-san, do not forget that."

"That doesn't expl…"

"Ranma-san." She cut him off forcefully, "You do not understand. My duty to my clan, to my village, rises above my personal beliefs…"

_As Hokage, I am under the obligation of protecting the Hidden Leaf Village, that obligation outweighs any personal opinions I may, or may not have on this matter._

Bitterness swelled within him, Ranma choked it down. "Have I willingly entered my prison?"__

"We live in a dangerous time," The woman continued as she shuffled the small pouch into the medic box, "You have refused us the truth while seeking aid, Ranma-san." Milky-eyes softened as she brushed a hand over the metallic container, "Confinement is quite reasonable in your situation… despite all evidence to the contrary, you _are_ dangerous, Hokage-sama _knows_."

Click. The box snapped shut.

"Everything has a price." She paused, her hand pressed against the doorframe. "Swallow your pride, and pay for it. After all…" Her eyes hardened once more into expressionless, almost mockingly, "You're in our hands now."

And she was gone.

-------

A noise made him look up.

"Umm… Hi." Tsunade gave him her 'Guilty Smile', shuffling her feet at the door nervously before slipping into the room. Ranma caught a flash of white as the door closed, and resisted the urge to shudder, cursing mentally at the bane of his existence: his guard, member of ANBU, who just happened to wear a mask resembling THAT.

And constantly making him feel rather… twitchy… about the terms of his confinement.

A soft cough broke him out of his darker thoughts as Tsunade gave him another 'smile'. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, with ash-blond locks framing her delicate face, she had put on a darker shade of lipstick since the last time he saw her, the cherry-red bringing out the color of her eyes. It was only a darker shade of gold, yet it was so warm and open and _human_ on her. Unlike…

Ranma blinked, and frowned, recalling that embarrassing morning, months ago.

The 'smile' wilted, leaving a large number of sweatdrops trailing down her temple.

Ranma crossed his arms across his chest, then winced, as the movement brought another sharp burst of pain across his shoulders.

"You're hurt again." Tsunade murmured, quickly moving to his side, surprise in her voice. A hand, aglow with Chakra, paused above his shoulder blades, then pressed down gently, after receiving a small nod of acceptance.

_She's good._ Ranma thought to himself, enjoying the numbing sensation that traveled down his back.

_Akane slapped the band-aid on his cheek, hard. "Quit complaining! It's your fault for being a pervert in the first place!"_

He winced again, this time not in pain. "Tha…"

"Sorry about… that time, Ranma-kun!" She suddenly burst out, "I… we… we were just, just curious. Didn't mean to get you drunk and look through your stuff… I mean!" Tsunade bit her lips, her hand was shaking on his back, fingers curling into the soft fabric of his shirt, "Sorry."

Slowly, Ranma twisted around, looking up to her eyes, "You looked through my stuff?"

Wince. "Really sorry."

Sigh. "It's… fine. I suppose. Not that there were much to begin with." __

Awkward silence.

"So… Ranma-kun." Tsunade gave him a genuine smile, fidgeting her hands for some reason, "Want to… ah… get a drink together?"

Ranma blinked.

"I mean!" Tsunade hurriedly cleared her throat, seeing blue eyes widening in confusion. She gestured wildly with her arms before grabbing him by the elbow, "Jiraiya wanted to apologize too, he's at the ah…bar! Why don't we head over?"

"Ummm…"

"Great! Let's go then."

"Urk!"

-------

"Jiraiya, just apologize to him!"

"Why the hell should I do that? It was AGES ago, you flat-chested bi… ow!"

_Why am I here?_ Ranma silently asked himself, keeping his eyes pinned to the single bottle of untouched sake on the table in front of him. Then he remembered his guard, who had literally been bullied 'off-duty' by Tsuande. _Oh yeah, that's why. Still…_

"Don't they know we can hear them?"

"Unfortunately, no." Orochimaru replied in dry amusement, sitting across from his pig-tailed companion, and looking exactly the same as the first day Ranma saw the man.

Ranma hmphed. Upon their arrival in the dingy little bar, Tsunade had immediately dragged Jiraiya out of his alcohol-induced stupor, flashed Ranma a smile before dragging her cursing friend a few tables over, were the two were soon indulged in a whisper-argument that had tuned up on the volume as it progressed.

_Oh well._ Ranma thought to himself. _At least I have something to do… I think._

"Look!" Tsunade smacked Jiraiya loudly on the head, then blushed, as she noticed Ranma's look of curiosity, along with several other patrons of the bar. Turning back to her white-haired companion, she lowered her voice once more to a soft hiss, though Ranma was still able to catching a few mumbles here and there.

"Hm." Ranma commented intelligently. His silent companion laughed… inward, while maintaining his stoic appearance on the outside.

A few more minutes passed before Tsunade looked up with a cheerful smile, a suddenly disgruntle Jiraiya trailing behind her. "Ranma-kun!" She began with another smug smile, "Jiraiya's ready to apologize to you now… aren't you, Ji-rai-ya."

Jiraiya stomped over, muttering under his breath, slamming a hand on the table, knocking the bottles of sake all over, he started, "Hey, you…"

Ranma watched, with a growing sense of dread, as his bottle of untouched sake toppled over towards him in slow motion.

Splash.

Silence.

A fine red brow twitched, taking in the sight around her. Orochimaru was… blinking, for the first time since she met the man, and somehow the fact that Orochimaru was blinking creeped her out beyond words. Tsunade was suddenly huddling herself into a ball, a dozen horizontal lines of blue appeared around her head, mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like 'bigger breasts' into her knee.

"I LIKE YOU!" Ranma found herself grabbed around the shoulders by Jiraiya, a drooling Jiraiya, to be exact. The man bounced on his toes, looking Ranma up and down with a flushed face, talking to himself rapidly. "Awesome shape! Large up here, slim down here, and so round down there!"

Ranma twitched, clenching her hands into fists. _It's like Happosai, only younger. Although he's already gotten the hair color in place._

Jiraiya raised his hands from Ranma's shoulder, fingers wiggling in the air, his eyes pinned to Ranma's sake-soaked chest, "Let's test the firmness, shall we?"

Punch.

Her fist was slammed into Jiraiya's jaw with all her strength, before the white-haired pervert could react. From the corner of Ranma's eyes, he noted that Orochimaru had snapped out of his surprise, and Tsunade out of her self-depreciation.

Jiraiya blinked as Ranma removed her fist, fiery red bangs hiding the anger blazing in her stormy blue eyes. "You sure you're supposed to be a guy? You're pretty weak, I hardly felt that punch."

_Weak._

Ranma's face snapped up, glaring at Jiraiya with such intensity that he hurriedly took a step back.

_"Weak." The man said as he slit the child's throat with a single, merciless stroke._

_The taste of copper in her mouth suddenly overwhelmed her, and she lurched to the side despite the broken ribs, loosing the content of her stomach._

_Cruel fingers dug into her scalp, forcing tears of pain into her eyes. Though blurry vision, the man smirked down at her, crooning mockingly. "Protect? You can't even protect yourself. You ignorant, pathetic little girl."_

_Ranma coughed, a thin trail of blood and vomit trailing down one corner of her mouth, slowly, she raised her arms across her chest, in all her cowering femininity. The man laughed, his fingers tightened on her scalp._

_"Kijin Raisu Dan." She whispered softly, snapping her arms apart with lethal speed._

Her arms were pressed across her chest tightly, shaking from the restraint. The two were still watching her from the side, she disliked the calculated look Orochimaru was giving her, and Tsunade's hesitation did little to ease that sense of… senselessness swelling within her. Jiraiya was fidgeting, clearly uncomfortable from the level of hostility she was directing at him.

_Weak._

Ranma turned, and ran.

-------

The village looked beautiful under the moonlight. The streets were empty of life and sound, save the occasional rustling, caused by the biting breeze. The same breeze that sliced his face, ruffling his bangs away from eyes closed in a simple moment of lost.

A noise behind him startled Ranma from his thoughts, turning, he caught a dark blur landing neatly in front of him, the frosted roof tiles made a soft 'click' upon the figure's arrival. Jiraiya.

Ranma looked around, noting the absence of his visitor's two almost constant companions.

Jiraiya shuffled his feet, upsetting the neat rows of tiles on the roof, Ranma frowned, but refrained from speaking, it wasn't his roof, after all.

Jiraiya mumbled something.

"Hmm?" Ranma inquired 'politely'.

"…sorry about today."

An arched eyebrow of incredulity was his response.

"Grr! Fine!" Jiraiya huffed, stomping his feet, "Tsunade said she'll kick my ass if I don't apologize, happy!?"

"Should I be?" Ranma retorted.

Jiraiya glared.

Ranma glared back.

"Look." Sigh. "I'm sorry, seriously, I am." More shuffling.

"Why should I believe you? You could just be taking pity on the _weak_!" He spat back venomously.

Brown eyes softened suddenly, Jiraiya pulled something out of his pouch. "Here."

It was a small bottle of sake.

An arched, and _twitching_ eyebrow.

"I know we didn't get a good start, with… everything. But…" A casual shrug, black eyes suddenly clear in their wisdom. "Sometimes, it's easier to _forget_, if you…"

Blue eyes widened in surprise.

Ranma slowly took the bottle from Jiraiya's hands. "Thank you."

"You're welcome!" The white-haired man grinned, shedding the previous tense atmosphere with his exuberance, "By the way."

"Hmm?"

A lecherous grin. "I think your female bod's hot! Let's hang out more often!"

"Oh shut up!"

Laughter.

-------

TIMELINE – Year Four, late February.

* * *

And we have... progress! Woohoo!


	6. Bond

**Part 6 – Bond**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

"I can't believe you and Jiraiya drank so much… again!" Tsunade grumbled and almost tripped in the darkened street, feeling a touch lightheaded from her own indulgence of sake while her companion made another attempt to lurch away from her. "Stop moving! It's bad enough that Nawaki's going to yell at me for coming home so late!"

"Geez…" Ranma moaned, wet bangs plastered over his eyes, courtesy from a cup of hot tea. He hiccupped, "Izza… speeeecial cele…bration!" He wiggled a finger in Tsunade's direction, a goofy smile plastered on his face, "Mission!"

Tsunade sighed, resisting the urge to pinch her nose, "Jiraiya always has a drink when one of us completes a mission, Ranma-kun. You should know that already. That idiot'll use any excuse to get drunk and ogle at your other form… I expected better of you to follow him… Every. Single. Time."

"'S fun." The pigtailed man mumbled, almost sounding dejected, if it weren't for the burst of giggles that followed.

"Yes yes. And Orochimaru and I are charged with dragging your drunken ass back home, every time." Tsunade muttered, but couldn't for the life of her, wipe that small smile from her face. Stopping in front of the door, she gave him another tug. "And we're here, give me your keys."

After several minutes of frustrated fumbles, they were finally able to unlock the door, and stumble into the small apartment.

"Come on." Tsunade dragged a suddenly quiet Ranma into the bedroom, pushing him on to the bed, sitting down as well, "You need to sleep this off."

She made a move to get up, when a hand tugged on her arm.

Blue eyes stared into her face with singular intensity, unblinking.

"Ran… Ranma-kun?" Tsunade squeaked, a warming sensation creeping to her cheeks as that handsome face leaned closer.

"Uncute tomboy." Ranma stated with a serious face, before breaking in a heart-warming smile.

It took a moment for her mind to process the words, Tsunade blinked, then blinked against, feeling the conflict emotion of outrage clashing with the overwhelming urge to facefault. Outrage won.

"WHY YOU…" And suddenly, they were tumbling down in his bed, and his lips were on hers, warm, kissing her. It was awkward, because his breath still tasted of sake, as did her own. His teeth clicked painfully against her lower lip, she was going to get a bruise later on. But it was a kiss, from Ranma, in all its warmth and awkwardness and lingering sake.

A droplet of warmth touched her chin, shaking Tsunade awake from the surreal dream, another droplet followed, as a gentle hand cupped her face, thumb stroking her cheeks in slow, soft circles.

Glittering blue eyes looked down into hers, wet with tears, seeing, yet unseeing. A tender brush of lips on her forehead, and words whispered with heart-wrenching grief, "I'm sorry… so sorry…"

Ranma collapsed on her side, one arm flung loosely over her, a name breathed pass his lips before he pass away in drunken slumber.

Tsunade lay there, pressed against his warm body, feeling the even rhythm of his breath, ticklish against the nape of her neck. Slowly, she pushed his arm away, and got up from the bed, surveying its inhabitant, who looked so peaceful and relaxed, lost in his dreamless sleep.

She brought a hand to her lips, it felt tender against her fingers.

"Enjoying yourself?" Tsunade yelped, twisted around to find Orochimaru, leaning casually against the door for who-knows-how-long, amusement sparkling in his slitted eyes. He smirked, taking pleasure in Tsunade's surprise. "I dumped the idiot at his home, and thought I come over to… help." He licked his upper lip with deliberate slowness, "Though you seem to be doing fine by yourself, Tsunade."

"Orochimaru." Tsunade hissed, overcoming her embarrassment, "You have three seconds to disappear, else I will make you wish you had never been born!"

The pale man bowed, still smirking, and vanished in a puff of smoke.

She walked out of the door, glancing back one last time, remembering the feeling of his lips against hers one last time. Warm and spicy, awkward and just a touch painful with the aftertaste of sake. Not bad, for her first kiss.

A wistful smile graced her face, as the ash-blonde woman slowly closed the bedroom door behind her, a name ringing in her mind, as Ranma had whispered, full of sweetness and regret and such deep, painful longing.

_Akane._

-------

Ranma woke into a familiar pounding headache. Not bothering to open his eyes, he sat up slowly, whilst rubbing his fingers against his temple. He was finally starting to develop a tolerance, sort of, to the 'celebrations' that Jiraiya always dragged him off to, ever since that night.

_I'm turning into Pops. _He thought with a small laugh that soon turned into a grimace.

A finger laid against his forehead, spreading the numbing chill that effectively killed Ranma's hangover. He grinned, raising his head up with a smile, expecting golden-brown eyes to look down at him with exasperation, "Thanks, Tsuna…"

Golden eyes looked down, a much lighter, and wilder shade than what he expected, pale fingers gave him a firm poke on the forehead, releasing the steady steam of cold.

"Ow…" Ranma stared in confusion, idly rubbing his forehead. "Didn't we do this already?"

Orochimaru laughed, sounding genuine amused, "Yes, we did. You were less clothed last time, I believe."

"O…kay." His neck was starting to get a crick from looking up.

Orochimaru sat down on the bed, his lips still quirking in a not-quite-smile.

"…Can I help you with something?" Ranma muttered drolly.

"Sarutobi-sensei thought you much of a threat." The pale shinobi stated suddenly, gesturing to the door with a hand.

"Err… yes?" Ranma tried tentatively, knowing exactly who was behind it.

"It's a dangerous time, Ranma-kun…" Orochimaru ignored Ranma's twitch at the honorific, "I find it strange that the Hokage would assign a simple guard-duty mission to a member of ANBU to watch over you… in the middle of a war, no less."

Ranma blinked, trying to process the comment. Something clicked in his mind, and the words left his mouth with incredulity, "Are you trying to make small talk?"

Smack.

A scroll landed in his face, and he fell back from the jolt, banging his head against the headboard in the process with a painful yelp.

Orochimaru turned away, bringing a hand to his mouth, long raven hair sliding over his face as Ranma rubbed the back of his head furiously, but not before the pigtailed man caught a touch of color on the paler man's cheeks.

He tactfully swallowed an inquiry on the shinobi's 'facial coloring', knowing that the other would not take well to the question. The ninja had been a constant presence in his life for the past months, along with Tsunade, since the duo never seemed to trust Jiraiya when he's in the company of women, sake, and money… or all of the above.

_Heh, Tsunade watched over Jai like a mother hen when it's about women, though when the latter's involved… _Ranma frowned slightly to himself, recalling an embarrassing event that had occurred at a gambling house located in a nearby village, when Tsunade had 'ordered' his guard 'off-duty' via a finger and a smashed wall, then sneaking him out of the village, where they met up with the two remaining members of the trio.

Thankfully all four of them were under the _Henge no Jutsu_ when they stepped into the gambling den, courtesy of Orochimaru's foresight when the ash-blonde and dice are placed together. The shinobi could act like a pretty good mother hen himself, when he's not busy mocking them for their 'idiocies'.

Speaking of Orochimaru…

Ranma picked up the scroll, eyeing it curiously. It looked familiar. "What's this?"

His pale companion gave an exasperated sigh. "It's yours."

"Eh?" Confused, Ranma opened the scroll, scanning its content quickly, his eyes widened. "This…"

_"Saotome-san, if you've seen the cure for this… mark that you bore, would it be possible for you to draw it out?"_

_"… I never saw the full chart, it was in pieces, and the vital portion was missing… but I'll try."_

"Offers an interesting concept." Orochimaru continued on, with the pigtailed man blinking stupidly at him. Leaning over, his golden eyes peeking from behind a waterfall of raven mane, he tapped the scroll with a finger, smirking in that strange way of his.

Ranma took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of pine trees and wet moss, "How so?"

His companion shrugged, tracing a finger over the Chakra pathways on the scroll as Ranma laid it down between them, stopping at the center of the human figure, right over the blank portion. "It seems, that by infusing the human body with a single burst of Chakra over a vital Chakra opening point, and enforcing the intrusion with a seal, the process would disrupt several vital Chakra pathways of the human body…"

Ranma's head snapped up in surprise, blue eyes widened as they stared into gold, which had narrowed in concentration, "You got that much, from an incomplete chart?"

"You shouldn't act so surprised, Ranma-_kun_, I am a genius after all." Gold grinned back.

The pigtailed man twitched again, and grumbled under his breath, "Just get to the point."

He could definitely hear the laughter in Orochimaru's voice as the shinobi spoke again. "Of course, Ranma-_kun_. As I was saying… With the Chakra flows re-directed, several Chakra points have been 'sealed', in a way. It's similar to the Hyuuga Clan's style, but permanent…" The pale man trailed off, his eyebrows knitting together in thought, "Ah… no wonder they hold such interest in you, Ranma-kun."

Ranma chuckled, becoming interested in the topic despite his own misgivings. "Seems like you've got everything down, so…"

"I've already requested to observe in your 'healing' sessions, Ranma-kun." Orochimaru replied casually, rolling up the scroll.

Blue eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Because." Pale fingers tied the knots with expert flourish. "I've learned all I could from this. And came up with several variations." Toss, the scroll landed in Ranma's lap. Golden eyes locked into blue once more, and he almost shivered from its intensity. Fascination. Delight. A deep hunger that he once saw in himself, when martial arts had been his world… And endless darkness that echoed his own.

"Think, Ranma-kun, if a Chakra-induced seal can weaken the body by altering the Chakra flows, wouldn't there be another way to alter the Chakra flows… and make you _stronger_?"

-------

TIMELINE – Year Four, early June.

* * *

Eh, at least the summary's been explained, well, some of it.

Word of advice for this story: Every little detail may or may not counts to something grand that may or may not come into play at a later date that may or may not provide more confusion. This is not a mystery/suspense, this is a snippet of scenes from one man's life as it progress through time. Don't try to understand it from the beginning.

A hearty thank to Serafita on the anifics forum, who was gracious and wonderous enough to fix all the grammar errors I had with this chapter.


	7. Slay

**Part 7 – Slay**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

"Ouch." Ranma yelped, turning around on the small stool as quickly as his pain-wrecked body would allow. "Quit poking it, Orochimaru."

The paler man merely shrugged, not even bothering to look remorseful. "It turned red for a moment."

"Eh?" Ranma blinked, still wincing, his retort cut off as a soft hand was pressed against his back, sending a familiar burst of Chakra down his back. He tilted his head, smiling into warm golden-brown, "Thanks Tsunade, you're a life-saver."

Clang.

The three snapped their head to the source of the noise. The Hyuuga medic-nin slammed the tea cup down, and bowed slightly towards the trio.

"Pardon me, Orochimaru-san, Ranma-san…" A small pause, "Tsunade-san. My hand slipped."

Ranma felt, rather than see, the ash-blond woman tensing beside him, and replied quickly, "It's fine, thank you, Hyuuga-san."

Milky-white eyes looked away for a moment, gesturing to the steaming cup. "The ingredients are from several common herbs that grows near the village, they will help to ease the… strains… on your body through our sessions. Come back tomorrow, and I'll have a month's worth of supply for you."

"What are you insinuating?" Tsunade crossed her arms, her normally wide golden-brown eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

"None at all, Tsunade-san." The medic-nin picked up the cup and pushed it into Ranma's hands, bowing once more, "I am merely concerned for your personal well-being, since you seem to spend a good amount of your Chakra for something as simple as pain-killing… if you will excuse me, Orochimaru-san, Ranma-san…." Another pause, "Tsunade-san."

Black kimono swayed out of the room, leaving the three behind, one fuming, another amused, and the last greatly confused.

Tsunade gave Ranma a sweet, sunny smile, and he felt a shiver crawl down his back. The ash-blonde patted him on the shoulders in a deliberate cheerful manner before quickly following the Hyuuga medic's fading steps. "Well, I'll just be off, to do something… see you later, Ranma!"

"Eh?" Ranma blinked stupidly at Tsunade's retreating back, then the cup of tea in his hands, before turning to his silent companion, "Did I miss something?"

"She likes you." Orochimaru remarked casually, then hurriedly jumped back in an organized manner as Ranma spat out a mouthful of tea, gray-blue eyes widening in shock.

"What?!" The pigtailed man managed, after a loud bout of coughing.

"That Hyuuga woman." Orochimaru clarified, dry amusement, and something Ranma couldn't detect mixed into a complicated expression on the shinobi's face, before serpentine gold caught concerned blue, and shot him a bored look in return.

"Ahem." Ranma cleared his throat, feeling his face getting a touch warm, "Why would you say that? About Hyuuga-san, that is. She hardly ever…"

"She's a member of the main branch, I believe." Orochimaru cut him off, "Pure Hyuuga blood in her veins. Hyuuga Hiashi would never allow her to marry a member outside of the clan…" A sideway gaze, "Especially not… well, you get the idea."

"I do." Ranma grimaced, picking up his tea and gulped down the dredges.

A moment of silence passed.

"She said something to me once," Ranma started softly, gray-blue eyes glazing in reminiscence, "That because she was a ninja of the Hidden Leaf, her life, her choice were not her own, but the village's. The Hokage told me similar words too… to lose yourself so completely in a dream that can be easily shattered… I couldn't understand it, Orochimaru." _Not anymore._

He trailed off, unsure of himself. _I have changed._

A pale hand landed on his shoulder, thoughtfully gold looked down, and for a moment, Ranma saw something within the other man that resounded with his own dark despair over his feeble existence, "Neither could I, Ranma-kun, neither could I."

-------

"How is she? And what the hell happened?" He demanded, his body shaking from a mixture of shock and anger. The group of masked shinobi from his side kept their silence, though he could feel disapproval practically radiating from them.

The Hokage chewed on the ends of his pipe, a grim expression on his face. "She is alive, though the condition of her…" He sighed, shaking his head, "Captain Morino, if you could…?"

One of the ANBU stiffened, expressionless avian mask turned to Ranma rigidly. "Hyuuga-san was attacked near the outpost of the village while gathering herbs, her attackers were knowledgeable in the Byakugan to have taken her by surprise… her eyes were taken from her."

_Gathering herbs…_

_"The ingredients are from several common herbs that grows near the village… Come back tomorrow, and I'll have a month's worth of supply for you."_

He choked back the shock, breathless.

"Hokage-sama!" The ANBU captain called out, all but dismissing Ranma's presence, "There is no time to waste, if we leave now, we have a good chance of catching her attackers and retrieving her eyes."

_Akane's eyes were closed. He splashed more water on her, but her face remained serene… in death. A death caused by her selfless sacrifice to stand between him and a God… A Sacrifice to save him. _

"I'm going too." Ranma stated.

The Hokage blinked, surprised. The ANBU captain turned to him with a hiss behind the porcelain mask, "The Hyuuga woman stands a chance of restoring her eyes if we can retrieve them within time, speed and efficiency will be our main objective, I've no time to baby-sit the sick."__

"I'm going." He repeated. __

"Hokage-sama!"

"Shut up, Morino-_san_." Tsuande quipped as Orochimaru released the Genjutsu, the two revealed in the room with Jiraiya yawning behind them, "I'm going too."

She smiled into the stunned silence. "If Hyuuga got her precious orbs ripped out, I'm the best chance she has at recovery, I need to make sure you get them back in top condition… Besides, you don't have a medic in your team."

Jiraiya yawned again, loudly, cutting off the ANBU captain's less than pleasant retort. "Well, guess I better tag along too, keep the property damage down, eh?"

Orochimaru's voice murmured behind Ranma's ear, and the scent of reptilian musk permeated his senses. "It will be a grueling pace, Ranma-kun… Can you keep up?"

The pigtailed man looked into the waiting face of the Sandaime, and nodded firmly.

-------

Ranma snorted as the woman continued to screech out threats; the pigtailed redhead took a few more steps closer to the booby-trapped box, careful not to step on the bodies that littered the large room. A hand landed on her shoulder with enough force to slam her to the ground, or so it had seemed to her.

_I owe you, Hyuuga-san._ A year ago, she would have been thrown across the room from the simple contact. She staggered, her knees buckled, but stood straight. The avian mask was mere inches from her face, its wearer hissed dangerously to her ear, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting rid of the stand-off." Ranma replied, a touch of her past arrogance entering her voice.

_No more sacrifices…_

"You can't!" The woman snarled, an insane look entering her cobalt eyes. "The Chakra bonds on the box are triggered to explode if you so much as touch it! The Byakugan eyes are _mine_!"

"Hn." The redhead woman commented. She unfolded her arm.

Boom.

The container exploded, showering the room with splinters of wood.

Ranma smiled slightly into the stunned silence, carefully cradling the twin white orbs in her hand. "Triggered explosions usually have an one second delay. By the way…"__

She raised her other arm over her elfin face, still smiling at the woman over the crook of her elbow, her eyes flickering from the needles the woman held in her hand to her shocked face. "You're the one who took Hyuuga-san's eyes, I take?"

Silence answered her. Ranma continued to smile, stepping closer to the woman, "I guess it's a yes then."

_Not for me…_

Movements behind her back, but Ranma ignored her companions, bringing her arm down, her hand slicing through the air with a whizzing hum, faster than the eye could perceive.

Thud.

Warmth splattered on her face and body, the red matching the color of her hair perfectly. Dispassionate blue eyes watched the two halves slide down against the wall slowly, leaving a larger smear of red against the once smooth white.

She walked back to her companions, one step at a time, idly wiping away a stray droplet of red that threatened to roll into her eyes with her free hand. The small group of ANBU kept their silence as she passed through them, and handed the twin milky-white orbs to Tsunade carefully. "Will she recover with these?"

"I… think so." Tsunade murmured, tucking them away in her pouch after wrapping them within a thick cocoon of Chakra, staring at her as if seeing her for the first time, her blood-splattered image reflecting in those beautiful golden-brown eyes.

"What the heck was…" Jiraiya began. Ranma cut him off.

"Great!" She gave her pigtail a firm tug, turning to the ANBU captain, "What next?"

Morino's commanding voice spoke up, thoughtful. "Grab all your weapons." They did.

"We need to destroy this place, wipe all traces of our involvement lest it be used against us." Pause, avian mask turned to her, "And when we get back, you and I need to have a good, long talk with the Hokage."

"Whatever." The redhead shrugged, raising an arm in the air, tendrils of green gathered around her, slowly spiraling toward her raised palm, taking the form of a fluctuating sphere. "Get out of the building."

The ANBU paused, his porcelain mask and uniform lightened in a sickly shade of green, a quick exchange of hand gestures, and the small group was gone from the room.

Jiraiya gave her a look, but poked Tsunade in the arm, the two slipped out from the window.

"Be careful." The smell of pine tickled her nose as a voice hissed behind her back, then the presence was gone as well. She was alone.

_I can do this._ Ranma took a deep breath. Blue eyes, awash by the growing green, closed in concentration.

_Pain._

Perfect.

_Guilt. Regret. Hatred. Anger. Despair._

"Shi Shi Hokodan."

The world crashed down.

-------

TIMELINE – Year Four, Mid-October.

* * *

A note of thanks to all the wonderful people on the anifics forums, who helped greatly with all the grammar and spelling errors this part previously had.

As for everything else... well, things are certainly setting in motion, are they not?


	8. Mask

**Part 8 – Mask**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

He awoke to gentle, yet vague impressions, filtering by his sleepy mind in a slow torrent of sound and images. Thoughts came later, and he was tugged from the dull lullaby into the harsher light.

"You're awake." A soft murmur, a hand brushed back the strays of black from his eyes, lingering against his chilled skin. Tsunade.

_What happened?_ He attempted, nothing but a wheeze emerged from his throat. The hand slipped down to his shoulder blades, and he rose slightly with its support. Glass touched his lips, "Drink this."

Bliss came in the form of cool liquid that slipped pass his chapped lips, moistening parched throat. He gulped down the entire glass at once, feeling immensely better after draining the last droplets from its container. "What happened?"

"We had to go back and dig you out of the rubble." Tsunade replied blandly, setting the empty glass on the table beside her. "You were already half out of it, Jiraiya volunteered to carry you back."

"Oh." Ranma closed his eyes, vaguely recalling the impression of moonlight and wind blowing past crimson bangs, cheeks pressed against a nest of messy white hair, and he had been thinking about…

_Blood splattered onto her face, droplets of crimson red dripping from her hair…_

His throat tightened, and he hurriedly lurched to the side of the bed, dry heaving. A pan was shoved into his face, and the constriction on his throat loosened. The life-giving water he drank moments ago streamed out in a single gush, flooding his mouth with a sour taste that rivaled the cesspit. He was dimly aware of Tsunade, slowly stroking his back with her hands as he emptied the pathetically few contents in his stomach.

"All done?" She murmured, pouring him another glass of water.

Ranma nodded, flipping his pigtail to the back of his neck, not trusting himself to speak, and accepted the glass with a thankful nod, sipping the water slowly to rid the horrid taste in his mouth.

Tsunade made a face at the content in the pan, then shoved the small container under his bed. "Funny, you went into a fit when we were a mile or two from the village too…" Amusement. "And puked all over Jiraiya before falling unconscious. Morino-san was most displeased that he couldn't drag you off to the old man right away."

"Oh." Ranma blinked, sitting up straight with some help from her, "Guess I owe Jai an apology then."

"If you want, though I think it serves that idiot right for being a pervert." The ash-blonde paused, "That Hyuuga medic's fine, before you ask. I performed the operation myself, it was a complete success." She stuffed a pillow behind him, and he leaned back with a thankful smile.

"Thanks, Tsunade. Guess I should go check on her later… What room is she in?"

"That won't be necessary, she's already recovered." She gave him a humorless smile, suddenly weary beyond words. "Didn't I mention? You slipped into a coma after we got back It's been over three months already."

"_What_?!"

-------

"How are you feeling?" The Hokage smiled at him, puffing on his pipe as he set aside another stack of finished paperwork.

Ranma shrugged, toying with the crutch. "Quite well, Hokage-sama. They only gave me this," as he raised the wooden appendage, "Because of regulations, I believe."

"Good, good." The older man continued to smile, commenting in an almost casual manner. "Quite well for someone who just woke up from a coma… two days ago, wasn't it?"

_So that's how it's going to be._ The pigtailed man shrugged again. "I heal fast."

"Of course, of course." Sandaime went back to the stack of paperwork on his desk, idly marking off something on the paper.

Ranma twitched as the minutes tickled by. Annoyance. "Is there a reason you called me here… Hokage-sama?"

Silence answered him. He snuck a look at the door, calculating the distance and the time it would take him to sneak out.

The rustling of paper forced his attention back to the Hokage, who pulled a thin folder from the large stack. Flipping the brown cover open, he scanned it briefly before setting the opened folder down, his attention suddenly focused on Ranma. "Captain Morino has written quite an interesting report about a certain mission three months ago, I believe."

A small pause, the mouth of the pipe tapped against the report. "There is a large section with your name on it, Ranma-san."

He cursed himself silently, a slight regret over that passion-filled night. Too much shock and anger and confusion and the desire to make things right, uncaring to how much more questions his actions would have raised. It was a dangerous time, after all.

A cough brought the pigtailed man out of his self-lament, the Hokage continued to smile at him. Ranma twitched, again. "Would that be all, Hokage-sama?"

"Ah, no…" Pause. "I'm removing your guard from his assignment; he's been requesting for a transfer for a while now." A shake of head, wry amusement. "Tsunade can be a handful when she wishes, I suppose. But well, no harm done, eh?"

Ranma's lips twitched slightly. "None at all, Hokage-sama… and thank you."

Sandaime mumbled something affirmative, and made a dismissive gesture, turning back to his work on the desk.

He was two steps away from the door when the old man called out. "By the way, Ranma-san?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama?"

"Captain Morino has placed a request for you when he found out about your recovery, he asks you to please consider it."

Blink. Blink. "What is it?"

"Join the ANBU."

Blue eyes widened.

-------

He was watching the snowstorm through half-opened windows, with the occasional clumps of white billowing into the room. The wind was harsh and biting, slicing into his already numb face, the room was dark, and deathly cold, with puddles of melted snow scattered all over the floor and the bed. He didn't mind.

A faint knock broke Ranma out of his daze, barely heard in the loud gush of wind. It was coming from the front door. He stood up, and left the room.

"Hyuuga-san." The woman gave him a small smile, the first one he saw since meeting her. She held a large bamboo umbrella in her hands, successfully keeping the snow from her lithe frame.

_Ryouga snapped open his umbrella, just in time as the huge blast of cold water slammed towards him, pelting against the red bamboo loudly._

_"Hey!" She yelled, soaked to the bone, "That's cheating, pig boy!"_

"Ranma-san." She bowed, closing the umbrella. "May I come in?"

"Please." He murmured, stepping back as she slipped pass the door. He gestured to the couch, "Sit, I'll make tea."

"That won't be necessary, Ranma-san." She pulled a small packet from her dark kimono and handed to him. "The tea I promised…" She trailed off, milky eyes watching him expectedly.

Ranma blinked, accepting the packet with both hands. His nose itched, catching a familiar scent, stoically resisting the urge to frown, he smiled back instead, "Thank you, Hyuuga-san."

She bowed, strands of dark blue hair falling over her shoulders, "You're welcome."

"Is there… something you wish to say, Hyuuga-san?" Ranma inquired after an awkward moment of silence.

"Hiashi-sama wishes to convey his thanks for keeping the secret of the Byakugan from my attackers… and… he has engaged me to his elder son. The wedding will be held in a month." Iris-less eyes bore into his.

_"She likes you…Hyuuga Hiashi would never allow her to marry a member outside of the Clan…"_

He stiffened, his palms beginning to sweat. "Congratulations then, Hyuuga-san."

She looked away, but not before he caught the fleeting disappointment in those milky white eyes, "I see… Good day then, Ranma-san."

"Good day, Hyuuga-san."

She bowed to him, but paused at the door. "Ranma-san?"

"Yes?"

"My sincere apologies for the trouble that I have caused you… Hyuuga-sama is not a cruel man… but he is prideful, and gets what he wants with subtle means."

A flurry of black, and she was gone into the snowstorm, leaving him with a helpless sense of guilt, relief, as well as confusion over her last words.

"How long are you going to stand there?!" He snapped into the empty air. Form and color distorted, revealing a pale man clad in a loose haori, his arms crossed, angular face half-hidden behind damp raven hair, which still held bits of melting snow.

Orochimaru's smooth face twisted into a frown. "How did you knew I was there?"

"That's a secret." Ranma wiggled a finger at the other man. "What are you doing here?"

"Playing messenger." The pale shinobi uncrossed his arms, revealing an object in his hand as he held it out to the pigtailed man. "Quite a feat, to have both Captain Morino, as well as _Hyuuga Hiashi_ vouchering for your initiation… Going to accept, Ranma-kun?"

Ranma stared, blue eyes flickering from the object to Orochimaru's face. Arms trembling involuntarily, he slowly took the object with both hands, still shaking.

The porcelain mask of the cat stared back at him expressionlessly, the empty eye sockets boring into him, ripping out memories of sharp claws and pain that had left a forever shadow in his life.

"What are you scared of?" It was an innocent question.

He flipped the mask over, feeling its smoothness in his hands, thoughts clamored in his mind, and the words slipped out of his mouth in a rush of confusion and sadness. "My existence."

Silence. He looked up to gold, and bit back the urge to scream out his soul.

"Going to accept, Ranma-kun?" Golden eyes still locked to stormy gray blue.

Ranma raised the mask to his face, feeling the chilled porcelain pressed against his numbing skin seamlessly, slicing him further away from his past existence as Ranma Saotome in a world too far gone for him.

"Call me Ran."

-------

TIMELINE – Year Five, late January.

* * *

And we've some more progress.

Note of thank to all the wonderful people on the anifics forum, who helped me greatly in ridding this part of all the grammar/spelling errors it used to have.


	9. Hide

**Part 9 – Hide**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

Tsunade found them at the dingy bar again, which had already became a second home, for all four of them. Two sat at the usual table, drinking themselves into a stupor, while the last sat a little farther, his face turned to the shadows, the dim light playing with the occasional gleam of gold.

She frowned, her hands on her hips as she came to a stop in front of the table, surveying the bottles of sakes littered around the redheaded woman and her white-haired companion, both drunk as hell and looking quite queasy.

"Oi... Tsuuuunaaade..." Ranma gave her a wide grin, and promptly smacked her face on to the tabletop, followed by Jiraiya.

She sighed, exasperated. "Honestly you two... you'd think you'd learn something after all this time. Why can't you two grow up?!"

Ranma slowly raised her face from its intimate contact with the wooden surface, and retorted loudly, waving her bottle wildly in the air, almost smacking Tsunade in the process. "Ah, wha'cha talking about... I'm having fun!" Grinning, she threw the bottle away, and cupped her breasts with both hand, giving her well-endowed assets a firm squeeze, "And compared to you... I'm more grown up than you'll ever be!"

Jiraiya roared in laughter. "Here here!!" And promptly felt over from his chair.

A vein popped on Tsunade's forehead, as she rolled up her sleeves slowly, waves of anger radiating from her frame. "Why. You. Two!!!"

Slam. Wham. Crunch. Glass shattered. Wood crumpled.

Senseless violence was commenced on the two drunkards, as well as the surrounded area, lasting a very, very long time before the ash-blonde pulled back, her ponytail and kimono disarrayed. Leaving the two objects of her 'affection' in a battered heap on the floor, she stormed away in a huff, literally leaving destruction in her wake.

From the corner, Orochimaru blinked, sighed, and shook his head. (1)

-------

"Ow..." Ranma mumbled into the cushions on her couch, every inch of her body sore and hurting.

Something warm was pressed into her hand, and she dumped the glass of hot water over herself with nary a thought, wincing as her body shifted under its effect. A weight settled next to his sprawled form on the couch, and the scent of fresh pine and wet moss was heavy in the air. Turning his face with some difficulty, due to his cheeks being pressed against the rough material of the couch cover, he gave the other man a tired smile, "Thanks, Orochimaru."

"Feeling better?" The smile in his companion's voice was overwhelming.

Ranma glared in annoyance, tentatively touching a particularly large bruise that had formed on his battered face. "Ow."

Orochimaru laughed.

Ranma sweatdropped, three lines of blue rolling down his temple. "Is there a reason that you're still here?"

"Ahem." The other shinobi cleared his throat, still smirking, "Leave, and deprive myself of your battered image? I don't believe Tsunade has ever went into a bigger rampage than the one you triggered today, Ranma-kun."

"Whatever." The pigtailed man grumbled, poking at the edges of the bruise with a finger.

"There's blood under your nails, Ranma-kun." A simple statement, casually commented. Ranma froze, tensing. _Perceptive bastard._

_He crouched down, never taking his eyes off of the disemboweled body in front of him, thankful for the mask that he hated, yet concealing him from the living nightmare, smooth and white and cold... like ice._

_He dipped his hand into one of the crimson pools, translucent flakes of ice formed around his fingers._

"_Ran." He looked up into a familiar avian mask. "What are you doing?"_

_"I..." He began slowly, unsure of himself._

"...killed a man with a blade of air. I didn't want my hands to look clean, not when..." He choked, and raised his hand, examining the muddy red stains under the dim light.

"That sort of thinking won't get you anywhere." Orochimaru was frowning. "Ninja are tools of war, and tools..."

"I am _not_ a ninja!" He hissed back, suddenly angry, "I'm not!"

"You joined the ANBU." Icy calm sliced through his hazed anger. "Out of your own choosing, Ranma-kun. Deny it if you will, but it won't change what you are."

"And what am I?" He whispered, subdued.

Silence.

"Come with me." Orochimaru commanded as he slipped out of the window. Ranma hesitated, then quickly followed the shinobi.

The evening breeze still held a tingle of the day's heat, warm and gentle against his face as he twisted in the air, following the flicker of white, and landing neatly on the rooftop beside his pale companion. Beyond, the last ray of the setting sun painted a glorious shade of gold and crimson against the darkening sky, casting their reflections to the lands below. The familiar, yet foreign landscape brought a sharp stab of pain to his weeping heart.

"Sit."

He did, confused. "Why..."

Orochimaru shot him a look. He closed his mouth wisely, and turned to the fading glory in the sky, slowly consumed by the coming darkness, until the final fragment of day was pushed away by the night.

His legs were numb from sitting still, and he slowly stretched the appendages out, feeling the tingle travel all the way down to his toes.

"Do you hate the night, Ranma-kun?" A soft murmur.

Ranma closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of pine and moss as he pondered over the question. Orochimaru stayed silent, patiently waiting.

"Yes... No." He replied after a moment. "No. I don't, not anymore. But sometimes, I just wish..."

His companion shifted, the moonlight playing along his pale, almost translucent skin, his chin tilted upwards, giving him an odd sense of vulnerability under the silver light.

Ranma looked up, following Orochimaru's line of sight, and his eyes widened. The stars looked the same, bright and dim and twinkling across the sea of darkness. He quickly looked away, and found himself staring into gleaming gold.

"Learn to accept your fate, Ranma-kun, and thrive."

Something small and round was pressed into his hand. He looked down, discovering a sake bottle.

A quirked eyebrow. "I thought you don't drink."

"I do indulge myself on occasions." Pause. Golden eyes looked away. "Drink, Ranma-kun. It's easier to forget this way."

_"Sometimes, it's easier to forget, if you..."_

Ranma blinked, taking a small sip from the bottle. "Funny that..."

"Mmm?"

"Jiraiya told me the same thing once..." Lips curving into an amused smile, "You two are more alike than either of you realize."

Twitch. Golden eyes narrowed. "Tell that to anyone and I'll feed you to Manda."

"Your snake?" Smirk. "I'm terrified."

"Shut. Up."

Ranma laughed softly, but said nothing more as he watched over the silent village, his pale companion silent to his side until the first ray of the light began to peek through the graying sky.

Orochimaru got up, jolting Ranma from his light doze. "I have a mission in an hour."

"Oh. Good luck then." Ranma murmured sleepily, stretching out his arms in an attempt to wake his fuzzy brain, "... and thanks."

Receding footsteps. One. Two. Three...

"Orochimaru?" Blue eyes staring to the rising sun, rays of gold reflecting in stormy blue depth. Then to the red stains under his nails. "Will it get any easier?"

"I'm not the one whom you should be asking that to, Ranma-kun. Jiraiya, on the other hand, however idiotic..."

Something clicked in his mind. "Err, Orochimaru?"

"Mmm?"

"Did you remember to go back for Jiraiya after dragging me home?"

"... Shit!" Ranma tore off towards the bar, with Orochimaru's throaty chuckles ringing in his ears.

-------

A katana was thrust in his face.

"Eh?" He commented intelligently.

Gold looked back, amusement and irritation mixing together. "Take it."

He did, feeling the weight in his hands. Flawlessly balanced and lighter than a normal blade, it felt perfect in his hands. He pulled an inch of the blade out of the scabbard, and felt along its edge, before wincing at the sharp sting of pain.

"It's err... nice." He offered, licking the blood off of his thumb. "Sharp too."

Orochimaru snorted, "It's yours."

Blue eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"If you do not wish your hands to be clean, then dirty them with a weapon instead. You do not wish to be a tool, so use one, and hide your denial behind it." He cut off Ranma's retort before he opened his mouth, his words sharp and biting, "You're already hiding behind a mask, Ranma-kun."

"Oh." Ranma managed, the sword in his hands. "Thank you."

Orochimaru was silent.

He pulled out the blade and flicked it experimentally in the air. "So... want to spar?"

"Hn. I thought you'd never ask."

-------

TIMELINE – Year Five, mid-May.

* * *

(1) This scene was originally written by Evil Kasumi (Lizmun) over a YIM conversation, and mollified into a scene with her consent.

Lizzie, whereever you are, if you're reading this, drop me a line on YIM because I really, really, really need to talk to you!


	10. Live

**Part 10 – Live**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

He shifted, slowly circling the other, blue eyes narrowing dangerously at the object in his opponent's hands.

The other man made the first move, speeding towards Ranma with the object raised.

He feinted to the left, then jumped back. To his disappointment, the other did not take the bait, and move along with him.

Ranma cursed to himself, wishing for the katana that had always accompanied his ANBU missions, a single slice, and he would have rid himself of the problem, but now, distance was his best option.

He shifted back once more, and almost tripped against the sidewalk.

"Ha!" His attacker smirked viciously, throwing the object towards him with lethal velocity, "Got you!"

Splash. Clang. The small, plastic bucket rolled onto its side against her feet.

She twitched, red bangs plastered over her eyes wetly, hiding the burning flames of anger in gray blue orbs. "Ji-rai-ya."

The white-haired man smirked, his eyes glued to the spreading wet patch over her chest, a trail of drooling making its way down one corner of his mouth, "Yes, Ranma-_chan_?"

She was in his face in an instant, "Die."

A half-form orb of green light shaping in the palm of her hand, she pressed it to Jiraiya's chest, and let loose.

Boom.

He flew back in a streak of green, as did she. But unlike her controlled thrust, he was slammed into the nearby fences with a loud crash.

Ranma dusted her hand before giving the tips of her fingers a flamboyant blow, muttering softly under her breath. "Pervert."

"I see Jiraiya's making trouble for himself again." A kind voice said behind her.

Turning, she came face to face with the smiling eyes of the Hokage, accompanied by a teenage boy with large blue eyes and the brightest shade of blond hair she's ever seen.

"Tch, Jiraiya-sensei's being a pervert again." The boy commented, blue eyes staring at her with interest. "How did you do that?"

Ranma rolled her eyes, pulling the front of her wet shirt with a hand, the lie slipping easily from her mouth. "It's a blood limit."

"No." The boy shook his head, yellow spikes blobbing, "I mean that blast of Chakra you did."

"Oh..." Ranma said, feeling stupid. "It's a secret."

"Come on!" Large blue eyes sudden bore into her own, mere inches away, "Pleeeaaassseee?"

"Err..."

"Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease..."

_"Pops!" He yelled, pointing a finger at the bald man dramatically, "Teach me how you did that, or I'll kick your ass!"_

"Alright! Alright!" She laughed.

"Yesss! So how did you do it?" Hyper enthusiasm.

"Well, first you... err..." Stormy blue eyes shifted to the groaning form within the heap of broken wood.

"It's fine." Sandaime smiled, and nudged Jiraiya with a foot before giving them a wave, "Why don't you two head off somewhere, I need to speak to my student."

The two stared at each other for a moment, blue to blue, and shrugged at the same time. The boy skipped a few steps ahead of Ranma and looked back, smiling. "You like ramen? There's a nice ramen stand just a little farther, I go there all the time."

The redhead grinned, "'S long as you're paying, why not."

Blond hair blobbed up and down eagerly, "Okay! So how does that thing you did work?"

"Well, first I mixed my... emotion with Chakra, and focus it in the palm of my hand..."

"Why emotion?" Curiosity.

"Meh, I can't focus pure Chakra, don't have enough, and my control's bad." A wry smile at the white lie, kids are so cute.

"Oh..." Blue eyes looked thoughtful. "Then what?"

"Then you focus on a shape to charge it up, an orb's good, because..."

-------

He sat on the roof, his katana loosely discarded to his side, the moon casting a large shadow behind his immobile form. His ponytail billowing freely in the night wind, strands of raven whipping against his face, the once pristine uniform he wore dirtied with blood, splatters and streaks of dark crimson reflecting an odd color against the white fabric. His arms bare except for the tattoo of the ANBU, a vivid red against his lightly tanned skin. Goosebumps were rising due to the increasingly chilly wind, yet he never moved an inch.

"_Mommy?"_

_The feline mask snapped up to the little girl, peeking from the door. She was dressed in pink pajamas, her tiny hands clutching a teddy bear half her size protectively. Wide eyes, innocent eyes stared at him, then at the mess of red on the floor. "Where's my mommy?"_

"_Kami-sama..." He whispered, forcing himself further into the ice, he raised the blade slowly, advancing towards the child, who stood frozen at the door, too young and shocked to understand the grief behind his words, "I'm sorry, I'm so, so, sorry."_

_The sword slashed down._

Another gust of breeze, bringing him the scent of pine trees and moss. Ranma smiled despite himself, relaxing marginally as a familiar presence appeared behind him, settling against his back with long familiarity.

Something poked him on his side, and he accepted the gourd wordlessly, recognizing it as one of Jiraiya's spares as he drowned himself in its fiery content.

"_What are you scared of?"_

"_My existence."_

"I think..." Ranma began, clutching the gourd in his hands tightly, "That I was so focused on reaching my goal, I never realized how lost I've became on the way."

A moment of blissful, yet heart-pounding silence.

"What will you do?" Calm. Collected. And calculating. Yet, oddly comforting.

_Akane gave him a sweet smile._

Ranma smiled bitterly, clinging desperately to the last shred of solidarity in the stars. "Live."

-------

"A leave?" The nameless shinobi repeated after him, the report all but forgotten on the desk as he hastily scrambled through the small mountain of scrolls.

He folded his arms, still dressed in the blood-splattered ANBU uniform, with the katana strapped to his back once more, and waited.

"I'm sorry, Ran-sama, but you're already scheduled for... three... more... missions... this...week...?" The shinobi's voice gradually lowered into a small whimper, ending in a squeak. The silent form of the ANBU becoming more menacing as he spoke, his final word breathed out in a visible puff of air.

The temperature continued to drop.

A hand grabbed the scroll in question as another arm slung itself over Ranma's shoulder, pulling on the ponytail that hang down against the nape of his neck.

Ranma frowned behind his mask, shooting the other man a bored look through the eyeholes.

Jiraiya grinned, completely unabashed as he tapped the scroll against the porcelain mask, "I'll take them."

"...Thanks." He murmured, pulling the white-haired man's arm off of his shoulder as he turned to leave.

"You're welcome!" Jiraiya called out cheerfully behind him. "Just remember, you owe me one!"

"Whatever." Just two more steps.

"Oh, Ran?"

_Dammit._ "What?"

Laughter in his voice. "You should take off that mask of yours someday, it's scaring the kiddies."

Slam.

Ranma shook his head, flipping the ponytail to his back. _Trust Jai to help me out... I'm going to regret this when he comes back to collect the favor. _

He grimaced, suddenly conscious of the layer of grime on his body.

_Shower. Bath. Braid. Clothes. Laundry._

Ranma ticked off his list of to-dos mentally, quickly making his way down the empty corridor.

A turn around the corner.

Bump.

His shoulders scraped along the other's chest, smearing a trail of black against the peach-colored kimono, a mixture of dried blood and dirt. He fumbled back, and found himself pressing against the wall from the imbalance.

The feline mask looked up, an apology on his lips.

Blue eyes found themselves staring into chocolate brown, full of warmth and tenderness and painful familiarity as _her_ face stared back, looking as shocked and sickly fascinated as he felt.

Familiar, yet foreign eyes flickered from his own, over his rumpled uniform and filthy state of being, and settled back once more, to his eyes.

With a trembling hand, he reached up, pushing the mask from his face, his lips parted, and the words were stuck at the back of his throat.

It was like love... at first sight...

_"Hi, I'm Akane. Want to spar?"_

"Oh..."

... followed by endless lament.

-------

The door opened on the second knock. A brown head poked out, blinking into the rain. "Who is i... GAK!" A double take. "Oh. It's just you."

The boy placed a hand to his chest, letting out his breath slowly as he stepped aside for the visitor to enter. "You scared the hell out of me, Ran-niisan..."

Ranma sweatdropped, pushing the mask to the top of her head with a smile, dripping puddles around her feet. "Sorry, Nawaki."

The boy blinked, taking in Ranma's current attire, a confused frown on his face. "Should I call you Ranma-niisan right now? Or is it suppose to be Ranma-neesan?" He sniffed, and stared at Ranma's soaked uniform. "Ick, you smell funny too, didn't you take a bath before you get here?" A closer look. "Hey! Is that blood?!"

"Nawaki!" Tsunade stepped out of the kitchen, "Don't be rude."

"Thbbbbt. Whatever, I'm going to train, oneesan, eat without me. See ya!" The boy slipped out of the door in a flash.

"But it's raining!" Tsunade wailed feebly to her brother's receding back, and sighed. "Little brat."

Ranma cleared her throat.

Golden-brown eyes blinked, she gave him her Guilty Smile, "Oh! Ranchan, I didn't see you there!"

_"Ranchan!" Ukyou called out happily, waving at him, "I didn't see you come in, okonomiyaki?"_

"...thing wrong?"

She shook her head, catching the end of the ash-blonde's inquiry, "No... just that, a good friend of mine always called me by that name. It's nice to remember... Tsu-chan."

She giggled, holding a hand to her mouth, "Cute, very cute, _Ranchan_." Golden-brown eyes bore into hers, reminding her of the warm sunshine that slipped beyond her grasp. "Now tell me what's bothering you, because I know you didn't come all the way over here in the storm just to exchange nicknames."

Ranma smiled.

Sadness. "No, I didn't."

-------

TIMELINE – Year Five, early September.

* * *

In which we've some more snippets of Ranma's life... and the introduction of a familiar face, well, several, but only one of them is uber important.


	11. Fear

**Part 11 – Fear**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

"It's been a while since all four of us have gotten together, hasn't it?" Tsunade whispered huskily into his ear, her body trembling, pressed tight against him.

Ranma grunted, shifting to wrap his other arm around her.

"Would you two quit making out in front of me?" A voice hissed faintly behind them. Two heads snapped back to the previously unconscious form slumped against the wall.

"You're awake, finally." Ranma breathed a sigh of relief, his arms still around Tsunade, supporting the majority of her weight as they hobbled over to their groaning companion.

"What the fuck hit me?" Jiraiya asked, holding a hand to his head.

"Backlash from the attempted summoning." Tsunade murmured as she sank down to her knees next to him, rummaging in her pouch in the dim light, her body shaking uncontrollably. She pulled out a small vial and handed it to the shinobi. "Drink this."

Jiraiya made a noise of disgust. "I hate this stuff, you know."

"I do. Drink it."

"Tch. What happened to you, Tsunade?"

"Rare muscle relaxant from the dice. Won't be out of my system for a couple of hours. I'm using up Chakra just sitting here." The ash-blonde grimaced. "This whole mission is a setup from the beginning. They had everything planned specifically against us."

"Well... shit."

"Be silent." A serpentine hiss, followed by a flicker of black and white from the window. Orochimaru quickly pressed his back against the wall, golden eyes focused on the opened slit of the window. "I counted at least thirty combing the streets, they're heading this way."

"What the fuck? Did they have their entire village camped here?" Jiraiya shouted, then wilted at the look Tsunade shot him.

Ranma shook his head, and pushed the mask to the top of his head, wincing as the movement brought a fresh burst of pain from the wound on his arm. He padded over to Tsunade's side, giving her a poke on the shoulder.

"From the Jutsu they used, this is a combined attack from the Mist and the Cloud." He paused, catching the fresh roll of bandage from the medic-nin before moving to his pale companion's side, mechanically wrapping the white gauzes on the shinobi's bleeding hand. "They knew you like to summon frogs, Jai, and they've been pinning me down with Genjutsu and Bushin..."

"Orochimaru?" Jiraiya inquired.

"Hit and run." Tsunade muttered, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to calm the shaking.

Orochimaru glanced back from the windowsill, carefully pushing it close with his uninjured hand. "If I try to summon Manda..."

"Don't bother." Tsunade cut him off, "We all ate together. The poison will send your body in a shock like Jiraiya was in, possibly longer since you'll be focusing a greater amount of Chakra to call Manda."

"Think of something then!" Orochimaru snapped, pulling the window open slightly, a sliver of moonlight slipping through the crack, illuminating his already pale visage as golden eyes peeked out again. "They're starting to search door by door."

Tsunade closed her eyes, taking a several long, deep breaths. Golden-brown snapped open. "Jiraiya, can you move?"

The white-haired man grimaced, pulling his legs under him, "I'll try."

"Do that." Another deep breath. "Ran, take Jiraiya and run for the Waterfall Country. Since they'll be expecting us to break for the Hidden Leaf, you should have a lesser chance of getting caught. Orochimaru, you'll be in charge of cleaning up their trail. I'll provide a distraction in the meantime to hold them off on this end."

"Bullshit." Jiraiya protested, standing up with the support of the wall, but wisely kept his voice down, "They'll just chase us down, Tsunade. I won't allow you to sacrifice yourself for nothing."

"Shut up, Jiraiya." Golden-brown turned to him, determined. Her hands clutching the necklace tightly to her chest. "Ranchan, get ready... and I need you to give a message to Nawa...."

Stormy blue eyes narrowed. "No."

She reared back in surprise, then glared. "I am in charge of this mission, and you _will_ follow my orders."

"Not when your life is on the line, Tsu-chan." He pulled the mask off of his head, along with the katana, and tossed them in her lap. "Orochimaru."

Gold looked up.

"I don't want to do this... But I need a favor."

_Kami-sama, I don't want to do this..._

He took a deep breath, calming raw nerves, "Genjutsu. Of a pit, dark..." Another deep breath, "I'm in it, can't... can't get out..." His heart was hammering loudly against his ribcage, he took another breath in a vain attempt to calm himself, "And I'm surrounded by... surrounded by c-c-c-cats..."

_... But I will because I have to..._

Blue eyes scanned the room, noting Tsunade's confusion, and Jiraiya's fuming outrage, finally locking to skeptical gold. "Don't release it until I give you the signal, no matter what."

"Stop being ridiculous!" Jiraiya hissed, "This isn't the tim..."

Slam. The door shuddered. All four of them froze.

"Do it!" Ranma commanded, blue eyes pleading.

The room blurred around him as the window burst open with a rain of shattered glass.

His last conscious thought was Tsunade's scream, accompanying his own as he willingly tumbled into his dark hell.

-------

Warmth, spreading from the center of his chest, all the way down to the tips of his hair and toes, tingling every nerve within his body in a thousand fuzzy embraces, and he happily expressed his contentment with another bout of rumbling purr.

His nose twitched at the scent of crisp pine and wet moss, a pleasant scent, reminding him of the blissful heaven of catnip. Smiling, he nuzzled against the softness around him, and purred again when the petting resumed. He could feel the nimble fingers running down his scalp, combing his hair in slow, gentle strokes.

_Wait... softness? Petting?!_

Blue eyes snapped opened, and caught an eyeful of black.

_Ack! I'm blind!_ The darkness shifted, and streaks of light pierced through the curtain of black._ Oh wait... that's just my hair._

"Ran? Ranchan?" A familiar voice murmured above him, the fingers stilled his hair, then pulled away. "Are you... you?"

He gathered a handful of raven hair, and tucked it behind his ears, slowly raising his face from the snug nest he was nuzzling against.

"Umm..." The nest shifted, and he looked up from Tsunade's lap, feeling uncomfortable warmth concentrating in his cheeks.

"Thank the Hokage!" He caught a flash of golden-brown, wide with fear and relief before arms wrapped themselves around him, squeezing hard. "I thought you... you..."

"Tsu-chan... air..." He managed weakly, patting her awkwardly on the back.

The arms loosened around him, and he was immediately jerked around, limbs flying in the air, red tear-marked face suddenly nose to nose with him, spiky white blobbing as strong hands shook him back and forth with dizzying speed, "Ran! What did you do? How did you do it? Why didn't you do it sooner! How come you never told me you could do that? I didn't know you were scared of... you know! You are, aren't you? Why didn't you tell me!"

"Jai." Ranma coughed, tugging at Jiraiya's hands in vain. "Thanks for your concern, and I feel quite well, by the way."

"Oops." Jiraiya grinned sheepishly, releasing the front of his shirt. He staggered back, a smile on his face as he turned.

Orochimaru lifted his chin slightly in silent greeting, curtain of raven obscuring his pale face, the gleams of golden pinning him, thoughtful and calculating.

Ranma's smile wilted. "So... what happened?"

Silence.

"You don't remember?" Jiraiya began, hesitantly.

..._teethsinkinginandaloudscreamohhowthebloodflows..._

Ranma blinked, shaking his head at the flash of _something_ that skidded past his eyes. He smiled in confusion. "Err... should I?"

A deliberate rustling noise behind him. He looked back to Orochimaru...

_The pale shinobi uncrossed his arms, revealing an object in his hand as he held it out..._

Ranma stared at the mask, the once white porcelain covered with streaks and splatters of dried red. A weight was missing from his back, and he raised his hand slowly, curling his fingers and stared at the muddy-red stains under his nails with a growing sense of horror.

"Ran?" Tsunade murmured, pushing to her feet.

"I..." He touched his throat, suddenly realizing his mouth tasted funny. Salt and copper, lingering under his tongue, becoming steadily stronger against his taste buds. "I..."

_Snarling, he slapped the body away, the crunch of bones grinding into flesh music to his sensitive ears._

_Yowling loudly in triumph, he bit down, and convulsed in ecstasy as the sweet taste of blood filled his mouth before ripping the meat away and swallowing in a single gulp._

"Kami-sama..." Ranma whispered, clapping a hand to his mouth as something vile rose from his throat. Blue eyes bore into golden, receiving a miniature nod in confirmation.

He lurched to the side, sinking down to his knees, and became violently sick.

-------

"Hello." She smiled at him, chocolate brown eyes closing in a happy smile.

"Hey..." He murmured, sitting down next to her, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "What are you doing?"

"Chakra bonds." He noticed her sneaking a peek at him from the corner of her eye as she sat the brush down with a flourish. "All done."

"It... looks very pretty." He offered lamely.

"Thank you." She gave him another smile, and his chest clenched as he became the focus of those familiar brown eyes.

"Would you like to... get something to eat, together?" He inquired, tentatively.

Akane's face lit up in another breath-taking smile, sweet and tender and familiar and bringing such a deep aching to his beating heart he wanted to curl up and weep the world away.

"I'd love to!"

-------

TIMELINE – Year Six, early March.

* * *

My absolute favorite chapter so far... maybe it's blood and gore, eh? Note of thanks to everyone on the anifics forum who had helped out greatly with the grammar and spelling in this part... now, onward!


	12. Crash

**Part 12 – Crash**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

"Every time I think I have you figured out, you go ahead and do something that surprise the hell out of me." Orochimaru said suddenly, snapping Ranma out of his dozing. Fumbling for a moment, his hands groped along the tiles, encountering moveable smoothness, and slipped.

He winced as the porcelain bottle tumbled its merry way down the roof, and crashed, loudly to his ears, on the cobblestone streets below.

"Oops..." The pigtailed man rubbed his bleary-eyes, the silk shirt he wore reflecting silver-crimson under the moonlight. "Is this about my err... training trip? I have the Hokage's permission..."

"No." Exasperation. "I was thinking more along the lines of a certain event that occurred... oh... _two_ months ago, before you dropped off to nowhere."

Blue eyes looked away. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Hn."

A moment of uncomfortable silence. Ranma kept his eyes glued to the curving moon.

"Tsunade's been tearing up a fit since you disappeared."

"...Oops."

"Don't you have anything else to say aside from that?"

"...No?" He offered tentatively.

Crisp pine and damp moss shifted behind him, Ranma turned, blinking up at the shinobi. Golden eyes considered him thoughtfully.

Ranma shivered under the intense scrutiny, knowing, hating, empathizing, fearing, and the simple sense of understanding it held. He was the first to look away, rolling his shoulders and resisting the urge to smile and wince at the same time.

"Uncomfortable?" Orochimaru murmured.

"Eh?" Ranma looked down at himself. The silk shirt was as smooth as he had remembered, yet strange against his skin. The drawstring pants felt oddly off, and he was conscious of the insides of his slippers rubbing against his feet.

"You wore this outfit when you first arrived here." Statement.

"Yeah..." Ranma whispered. "It's strange... that..."

..._smooth white, lined with a thin layer of metal, a small weight on his chest and shoulders, and another one on his left thigh, his right leg always felt stiffer than his left, due to the rolls of bandages wrapped around the other thigh, the katana ever present on his back..._

"That it no longer suits you." Orochimaru continued.

_I am... a martial artist... Aren't I?_

A hitched breath, and Ranma quickly lurched to his feet. Anger. Fear. Confusion. A whirl of jumbled thoughts and emotions overwhelming his mind to its very limit. "I'm leaving."

Cold, strong hand grabbed him by the arm, and he hissed... in pain.

An eyebrow rose, Orochimaru pushed up the red sleeve, and stared at the layer of bandages wrapped around the arm.

_Ranma shook his head, and pushed the mask to the top of his head, wincing as the movement brought a fresh burst of pain from the wound on his arm..._

"It's just a scratch." Ranma frowned, unsuccessful in wrenching his arm out of the shinobi's hand.

Cool fingers plucked the knot, unrolling the bandages inch by inch until the single streak of crimson was revealed under the moonlight.

"It's just a scratch." Ranma repeated.

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "Find that Hyuuga medic-nin. Now."

"Why should I? I'm not due for a session with her for another week." Confusion.

"Ranma... it's still bleeding."

-------

"I have made a mistake." She stated, violet hair curling around her face in disarray, the veins fading around iris-less eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Ranma snarled from the chair, a sickened feeling making itself known in the pit of his stomach.

"_By opening certain Chakra points on your body," She gestured to her pouch, "I am able to re-direct a number of non-disrupted Chakra pathways within your body to override the mark, very briefly," She paused, "Given time, and extensive treatment, perhaps it will become permanent."_

"The Chakra pathways... They..." She paused, milky eyes softening. "They were undisrupted for a reason, it seemed."

"That's nice." Ranma retorted sarcastically. "What the hell does this mean?! For me?!"

Milky-white eyes looked away. "You're dying, Ranma... Ran-san."

He took a deep breath, then another. "Repeat that, if you please."

"You're dying, Ran-san."

"...Explain."

"Because I have changed the Chakra pathways, your bodily functions..." She counted, "Breathing, molecular healing, the beating of your heart, the performance of your internal organs, are being disrupted on a much, much more complex scale. The pathways that I have altered... seems to be... no... _are_ what kept your body alive, and now..."

"Now what?" He asked, the feeling intensifying in his stomach.

"Now... your body is decaying, however slowly, at the same time that you're growing stronger, regaining the strength that was lost due to the mark... simply because of the lack of sufficient Chakra to support its more basic functions."

"How do I stop this?" He gritted out.

She nibbled her lips. "I could... try to re-direct the Chakra pathways to their original state, since the decay is still at its beginning stage... but... the strain placed on your body could very well kill you..."

_One step at a time... to where?_

"It is not too late to find a medium, since the Chakra pathways have not settled into a permanent state." Orochimaru suddenly spoke from the side. "You'll still be able to maintain some of your strength, and slow down the rate of your body's... decomposition to a more manageable rate."

A flash of revelation.

Stormy blue eyes snapped up, seeking contact with gold. "You knew. You knew this would happen!"

Orochimaru was silent, curtain of raven hiding his face.

Fingernails dug into the palm of his hands, drawing blood. "Why?"

"You _were_ the means to what I wanted, Ran."

A bitter bark of a laugh. "Well... shit."

A pale chin dipped. Acknowledgement. Acceptance. Apology. And the shinobi was gone in a flicker of black and white.

"... Shit." Ranma repeated softly, cursing up a fine storm under his breath. A hand touched his shoulder gently, milky eyes bore into stormy blue.

"I'm so sorry..." Her other hand curling around the base of his pigtail, and he gave in to the hug, wrapping his arms around her waist, sinking himself into the single moment of comfort. Breathing in the soft scent of her, and soaking in the warm of a feminine body, it felt... nice...

"_What_ are you doing?!"

... if only for a moment.

Ranma looked up as she stepped away, a mixture of surprise and guilt replacing her typical composed visage.

The young man, boy, rather, no older than fifteen years of age, yet carried himself with an overwhelming sense of arrogance as he stomped into the room, his Byakugan eyes activated with a twisting frown on his face.

An opened palm strike, seeking contact with his bared chest. "Get away from _my_ wife!"

Ranma flipped over the table with liquid grace, bouncing off of the wall and crouched down in a three-point stance to the boy's side. Anger. Annoyance. Frustration. Surprise. "What. The. Hell!"

"Hiashi-sama!" She called, wringing her hands as the boy's eyes narrowed, his feet shifting into an unfamiliar stance. "This isn't... please stop... it's not what it looks like!"

"Hyuuga-san..." Ranma stood up wearily, "Don't tell me this brat's your husband?"

Milky-white eyes looked down, and the curtain of dark violet pooled in, but not before he caught the flash of depressing resignation in them.

Hyuuga Hiashi stiffened, baring his teeth as he looked away from his silent wife to the pigtailed man. "You... you dare to call _me_ a brat?! You... you damned womanizing deviant!"

"_Saotome! You enemy of all women! DIE!"Mousse raised his swords, and charged._

"Oh no..." Ranma held up a hand at the boy, "I so do _not_ need this shit right now."

"Shut. Up!" A blur of black streaked toward him. Ranma parried, but the moment of hesitation caused a hand to brush him lightly on the shoulder, soon followed by daggers of bone-wrenching pain. He gasped, and instinctively kneed the boy viciously in the chest before leaping back.

Cough. Droplets of saliva spew from the boy's mouth, but he stood strong and ready.

"Stop this. Please." Slim hands tugged at the boy's arm.

Slap. She reared back, fumbling and falling to her back from the force of his hand. "Shut up. _Whore_."

Blue eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. _Ice._ "Hyuuga-san did not deserve to be treated in that manner."

The boy snorted, veins re-appearing around his Byakugan eyes as he shifted into the stance once more. "She's _my_ wife... get ready to die."

"Fine!" Ranma snapped, raising his uninjured arm up, "I need to relieve some stress!"

"You stand no chance!" Black blurred towards him once more, anger and hate rolling off of the boy in choking waves.

_One._

"Tch." He flipped over the boy, one hand pressed on the mess of dark hair, a twist of his other wrist...

_Two._

...and slammed his feet down on the boy's lower back, hard, as the familiar metal handle slipped into his free hand...

_Three._

Knees soon followed, pinning at the sensitive joints on the shoulder as the body crumpled down...

_Four._

...a kunai was pressed against the boy's exposed throat.

All three froze.

"I am..." Ranma began softly, the kunai unwavering, "Not going to kill you. But in exchange, I want you to release Hyuuga-san from..."

"No." Blue eyes snapped up to milky-white. "Thank you, Ran-san, but I cannot accept this."

"But..."

"No." She pushed back a stray strand of dark violet, the side of her cheek bruising from the previous slap. Milky-white eyes held the sadness and resignation echoing his own. "This is my grave."

Ranma looked down to his silent captive. "How old are you, brat?"

"... Hn." The boy winced when the sharp edge of the kunai pressed into his skin. "Fourteen."

A quirked brow. "A bit young, aren't you?"

His captive did not bother with a reply, veined eyes pressed shut.

Anger. Fear. Hatred. Humiliation...

"Tch." Ranma stepped off of the boy, "Kids."

"Hakke Rokujyuu Yonshou!" Byakugan snapped open.

"Wha..." Pain flared with each strike, and he stumbled, allowing himself to be carried by their forces, the boy's murderous rage thick around him.

_Sixty-four points... leading to a... ha!_

Ranma staggered as the final blow was delivered to his chest, dropping to one knee.

"And now..." Milky-white eyes looked down to stormy blue. "You will die."

"Tch." He smirked, unmindful of the blood that spilt past parting lips. He clenched his fist, testing the strength of his arm... _Acceptable._

"Hiryuu Shoten Ha!"

-------

Slam.

Ranma winced as the large doors slammed loudly behind him. He pressed his back against the solid oak, the adrenaline of battle fading, leaving only the sick clench in his stomach behind.

"Ran?"

He looked up to familiar brown eyes, unconscious of the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes.

The Chuunin girl blinked, taking a small step back. "Is this a bad time? I could come back later... I'll just... I'll just be going now."

_One step at a time... But to where? Already lost on the way home... Lost._

"Hey..." He called out to the girl. A child, really, compared to his withered mind.

"Mmm?" Akane's voice, Akane's face, Akane's eyes, Akane's smile. Not Akane. But it's enough... enough for...

_What am I doing?_

"Will you..." He cleared his throat, "Will you..."

-------

TIMELINE – Year Six, mid-May.

* * *

Can we say... tick tock tick tock tic tock... BOOM!

Note of thanks again to the nifty people at the anifics forum, grammar and spelling are so not my thing.

And remember, kids, doing the 64-pokies on Ranma have drastic results! So don't do it! XD

Oh, also. If you're still confused by the story... well... you shouldn't be, for one, but if you are... like I said before, try to enjoy it, and see it, as it progress, instead of going 'where's the starting point?' Because there isn't one, Of Dreams and Memories began in the middle, and works its way down towards the end... So there!


	13. Yield

**Part 13 – Yield**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

"Ran." Sandaime gestured, and Ranma stepped closer to the desk.

"Hokage-sama?" Polite.

"My name will fine, Ran." Sarutobi said, giving him a kind smile as he set the sheaf of paper down on the desk.

_Cologne cackled, almost grandmotherly, "Son-in-Law, coming for help again?"_

"Sarutobi-san." He smiled, nervous. "I understand this is sudden... and err... regulations..."

"No, no." Kind eyes crinkled, and Ranma swallowed the stab of familiarity, grateful when the Hokage looked down, gesturing to the form he had filled out. "Retirement from the ANBU... quite reasonable, given your situations..."

"Ah... well..." Heat rose to his cheeks. "About the err... property damage, that is... see... there's a..."

Sarutobi chuckled, biting into his pipe in mirth. "Don't be so nervous, Ran. Just between you and I... good work."

"Ah..."

"I'm still taking it out of your pay. The Hyuuga Clan isn't very happy with half of their residences torn away, though I must say, they are recuperating quite well with time." The older man picked up a pen, tapping against the paper, specifically, at the few blanks left in the form. "Any thoughts on a new job? Though I suppose you'd want a break for the big day coming up, eh?"

Ranma tugged at his pigtail, resisting the urge to wince. "Well... I was hoping..."

"_Mommy?"_

_The feline mask snapped up to the little girl, peeking from the door. She was dressed in pink pajamas, her tiny hands clutching a teddy bear half her size protectively. Wide eyes, innocent eyes stared at him, then at the mess of red on the floor. "Where's my mommy?"_

"... to teach some stuff at the Academy."

Scribble. Relief with the lack of inquiry.

"Good, good. We can work out the details later." Sarutobi gave him another smile, "Although, this...."

"What about it?"

"I don't suppose you'd take Jusenkyou as a family name... no? Well... we can't have you nameless, Ran. You'll be building a family, and a clan."

"Sarutobi-san... I... I..." Conflict.

_I will only bring death to the Saotome name._

"You came from the Water Country, right?"

"Ah... yes?" Taken back.

"Mmm..." Sarutobi nodded, looking down at the paper, "Reasonable, given your rather... close affinity with water."

_He stared down, down, down, the vast blue coming closer, closer, closer. No... he was the one who was closing the distance between them, the wind screaming in his ears as his body whizzed through the air. _

_He took a deep breath. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH..."_

_SPLASH._

"Here."

Ranma blinked as the form was sudden thrust in his face, then blinked again at the sight of Sarutobi's hand-writing. "Eh..."

"Objections, Ran?"

"No... It's fitting." Ranma smiled, brushing a finger over the words, silently testing the name against his tongue...

"Well then." Sarutobi nodded at him, chewing on the pipe, "Welcome to the Hidden Leaf Village, Special Jounin Instructor..."

_Umino Ran._

-------

"Ow!" Ranma objected loudly, "Stop poking me there... hey! Leave my pigtail alone, you crazy girl!"

Wap.

Tsunade huffed, and pulled at the braid. "If you'd stop trying to RUN AWAY! Jiraiya!"

A hand descended on his arm, tugging him down.

_Hmm... to break, or not to break..._ Ranma scowled, conjuring six different ways of snapping various ligaments on his white-haired friend's appendage, and sighed, allowing himself to be forced back into his seat. "Tsu-chan, I appreciate this, really, I am. But I don't think..."

"Oh shush!" Golden-brown eyes curved happily as she continued to fiddle with the camera in her hands. "It's a celebration, Ranchan. Now sit still."

"But I don't wanna." He retorted sulkily.

"Hush." Tsunade retorted, "'Sides, you need a picture for your profile, and this'll be perfect after some adjustments."

Jiraiya grinned at him, half-crouched to his right, and rested his elbow on Ranma's shoulder. "Congratulations, Ran, you're an official member of the Hidden Leaf Village. Say... let's celebrate later at the bath house, eh?"

"Not happening, Jai." He shot his lecherous friend a withering look, "There's no way in _hell_ that I'm helping you peep on the girl's side."

"Come _on_, Ran!" Jiraiya lowered his voice to a whisper after a fugitive glance at Tsunade. "It's not like you're gonna see something you haven't saw before, heck with that _bod_ of yours..." He paused to wipe the trail of drool that threatened to descend from his mouth, "You're starting to worry me, Ran! Any hot-blooded male would jump at the chance to see some lovely female flesh..." He paused again, a dreamy look entering his eyes before he forcefully shook his head, "I'm thinking that blood-line of you is affecting ya... A real man wouldn't pass up this chance... Aren't you manly enough?" (1)

_Nodoka gave him a cheerful smile that chilled him to the bone. "My son! Why don't you take a peek at the bathroom while Akane's taking a bath, it's what a real manly man would do!"_

Ranma twitched. "No. Way. In. Hell. 'Sides... what would you know about being a man, Frog-_Child_." (2)

Jiraiya grinned, completely unabashed. "Spoilsport... ow! Bitch! Ow! Watch the hair!"

Tsunade gave the messy white locks another hard tug before settling behind Ranma, wrapping her arms around his neck loosely, and dug her chin into the top of his head. "You deserve it, pervert. Orochimaru, get over here!"

A shadow detached itself from the wall silently. Blue eyes caught a gleam of gold before Ranma wrenched his face away, eyes pinned to the reflecting lenses of the camera, sitting innocently on the battered table.

The familiar scent of fresh pine, mixed with wet moss and the leathery tang of reptilian musk settled to his left, strands of raven mingling with his own.

Silent. Waiting. Hoping.

"Smile..." Tsunade murmured above him.

Ranma twitched.

FLASH.

"There!" Slim hands reached over his head, plucking the camera from the table before settling down on the adjacent seat. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

He breathed a soft sigh as he was suddenly free, Jiraiya plopping down across the table, and Orochimaru next to the white-haired shinobi, though with infinite more grace.

_Now or never..._

"Oh." Ranma cleared his throat. "By the way."

Three pairs of eyes stared back at him.

"I'm getting married." Ranma declared quietly, blue eyes shifting down to the table.

Tsunade squawked, followed by a strangled noise as Jiraiya choked on his sake. Orochimaru's shoulders stiffened for a fraction of a second beside him, then deliberately relaxed. He could feel the piercing gaze of those serpentine gold eyes.

He kept his eyes pinned to the tabletop.

"Who!? When!? Why!?" He winced as Tsunade leaned over the table, knocking over her bottle of sake, and shrieked into his ears. Jiraiya was still coughing, though Orochimaru was being nice for once, and had began to thump the white-haired man's back.

"A Chuunin girl, Tsu-chan, I told you about her..."

"What!" Ranma winced at the raised volume, and suddenly, he was grabbed by the front of his shirt, and dragged off of the chair as she continued to scream into his face. "She's 17! And you've only met with her a few times! Are you insane?!"

Ranma scowled back before turning his face away, his lips pressed together tightly.

Tsunade's hands twitched around his collar, then released him, and he straightened the front of his shirt before he replied, blue eyes silently counting the numbers of scuff marks on the table. "I asked. She said yes. Wedding's... tomorrow."

Tsunade was twitching, her lean frame shaking into a fine frenzy, and stilled. "I take it back. You're _both_ insane..." She muttered quietly, slumping back in her seat.

"Why?" Orochimaru's voice was as calm and collected as ever. "It's rash. Unlike you, Umino."

Blue eyes locked into serpentine gold.

"Because I want to." Ranma smiled slightly. "Although, I suppose you would never do anything rash, would you, _Ochi'_?"

Forgiveness.

Twitch. Jiraiya snickered, and Tsunade covered her mouth with both hands.

A moment of deliberate silence.

Relief, and...

"Ochi'?" The word was hissed with unspoken death threats menacing underneath.

Ranma grinned, "Why not? It suits you."

"No. It does not." Orochimaru glared back.

"Oh..." Blue eyes laughed silently, "I'm sorry, Maru-kun!"

Jiraiya roared, and almost fell off of his chair. Tsunade's shoulders shook madly.

A vein popped on the pale shinobi's forehead, half-hidden under the curtain of raven hair.

"No like?" Ranma gave shinobi another big grin. "How about Maru-chan... Gak! Watch where you're throwing those!"

Orochimaru simply replied with another dozen shuriken.

-------

"Anou..."

Tsunade looked up from her desk, blinking in confusion before the recognition sank through, and gave the Chuunin girl a reassuring smile. "Yes?"

"Anou..." The dark-haired teen fidgeted, brown eyes darting back and forth across the room, "Tsunade-sama..."

The chair scraped against the floor loudly as she stood up, leaning over the desk with a large grin on her face. "Nonsense, dear, just call me Tsu-chan!"

"Anou... that won't be proper, Tsunade-sama..." She blushed, and looked down.

"Why not?" Golden-brown eyes curved into a cheery smile, "Ran does it, and since you two are..." She raised a fisted hand, pinky wiggling in the air, "Mmm?"

The blush intensified, "It's... it's... well... umm... like... well... see... umm... Tsunade-sam..."

"Uh-uh!"

Meekly. "Tsu-chan."

"That's a sweetheart." Another knowing grin. "I can see why Ran was so taken with you..."

"Anou... Tsuna... Tsu-chan, could I... ask you something? It's about Ran..."

Gasp. "Don't tell me! Did you two forget to use protection?!" Golden-brown examined her with sudden intensity, hiding their laughing gleam.

"No! It's... No! Not... not like that!"

Laughter. "Just playing with you, dear... now tell your darling Tsunade-oneesan what's bothering you... I mean, shouldn't you be preparing for the grand day?"

Shuffling. "It's nothing, really... Just that..."

"Mmm?"

"It's all so surreal, that he would... would ask me to marry him... Tsuna... Tsu-chan." Chocolate brown eyes looked down. "I'm so confused. Sometimes he watches me, and it's like he's seeing someone else through me..."

-------

He shivered as cool fingers trailed down from his neck, smooth and gentle against his skin.

Tha-dump. Tha-dump. Tha-dump...

"There is an one-in-ten chance to survive this. Probably less, considering how disorganized your Chakra is." Familiar presence murmured behind him, brushing the pigtail away to expose his throat.

Silence.

"Do you trust me?"

Ranma closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of rain and leathery tang. "Always."

Lips brushed against the nape of his neck in a mockery of tenderness, seconds before the twin needles of pain stabbed deep into the bone. He gasped, once, his body seizing up, every fiber of his muscle clenching in pain as the mark on his back responded with its own burst of spreading agony.

Tha-dumptha-dumptha-dumptha-dumptha-dumptha-dumptha-dumptha-dump. Tha...dump. Tha... dump...

Tha-dump.

-------

TIMELINE – Year Six, late July.

* * *

(1) Another scene that was written by Lizzie, and modified into this fic with her consent, hooray for 'teh Lizzie'!  
(2) Anyone else beside me realize that the kanji Jiraiya used in describing himself is reserved for pre-puberty kiddies? Meaning they're virginal?

Ah well... the mystery of 'Umino' has been revealed, in more ways than one, eh? Some more stuff happens, as times goes on... Ain't all just so grand?

Lizzie? Random burst of plotline inspiration attacked! Think you could drop me a line on YIM sometime soon? Pretty please? Yeah, I know you're super busy, but this won't take long... I think. Thanks!


	14. Break

**Part 14 – Break**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

He opened the door on the second knock, and received a bucket of cold water in his face.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Red-marked face was suddenly inches from her own, with Jiraiya's grin looking ever sunny and clueless before engulfing her in a hug which borderlined on groping. "How's the married life?!"

"Jai." Ranma twitched as she was released after a long moment, but opened the door further for the white-haired shinobi to bounce in, muttering over her shoulder. "You'll never change no matter how much I beat it into ya..."

"Ran." Warm liquid poured down his head, drenching her hair and back, and she shivered as the tingle danced once more along her skin. A light peck on his cheek, and he blushed slightly. Tsunade giggled, tossing the glass to him, cherry-pink lips moist and glossy, and she slipped through the door.

He rubbed at his cheek, the smudged lipstick sticky against his skin... and stilled at the sight of the third visitor.

Orochimaru inclined his chin, earrings dangling. "Congratulations, Umino."

"...Thanks." He murmured, "Didn't think you'd show, Ochi'."

Serpentine eyes glared at him half-heartedly. "I thought I told you not to call me that."

Ranma grinned, gesturing into the room, "You did."

"Hmph." Black and white slipped past him, carrying the scent of fresh pine needles and damp moss into the room.

Click.

He closed the door softly, and immediately scowled. "Ji-rai-ya!"

The guilty party looked up from the crib, the stack of colorful magazines clutched in one hand. "What? It's a present for your kid, Ran!"

"No." He stumped over, and scowled at Orochimaru's look of amusement before ripping the colorful magazines from Jiraiya's hands, followed by a bop to the head. "Confiscated, Jai. And don't you _dare_ open your gourd here either!"

"Tch... no appreciations for the finer points of life these days..." Jiraiya mumbled darkly, and carefully picked up the small bundle in the crib. "Married life certainly gets you all uptight. We hardly see you around anymore."

"That's because you spend all your time in..." Ranma grimaced.

"Not all the time!" Jiraiya retorted, grinning lecherously. "Come 'round some time, Ran, sake shouldn't be consumed without good view, and Tsunade don't offer... much..."

Orochimaru plucked the bundle from Jiraiya's hands, scooting out of the way with familiar ease as the ash-blonde moved in towards the white-haired shinobi, smacking him into the wall with a casual bat of her arm.

Ranma chuckled. "Grow up, you two... err..." He waved his arms frantically, "Careful there, Ochi'..."

Orochimaru held the bundle with both hands away from him, which had gurgled unhappily from the settlement, he commented after a moment, "It's... cute."

Ranma rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks, Ochi'. _It_'s a boy, by the way."

"Hn." The pale shinobi shrugged, handing the bundle to a huffing Tsunade, who immediately began to croon over the baby with a recovering Jiraiya.

"He's a beautiful baby, Ran." She smiled at him wistfully, golden-brown eyes misting. "Reminds me of Nawaki... when he was born..."

Jiraiya winced from her side, and patted the ash-blonde's shoulder in comfort, with his carefree smile firmly in place. "Makes you want a kid of your own, mmm? What was that guy's name, Dan?"

"It's not like that!" Tsunade protested, rosy hue rising to her cheeks, "Dan and I are... just..."

"Just what?" Jiraiya grinned, wiggling his brows, "I saw you two getting pretty cozy the other day, gonna pop the question and settle with a kid of your own soon, eh Tsunade?"

"Shut up." Tsunade retorted, her cheeks crimson.

"Ha! I knew it!" Nimbly dodging her half-hearted attempt to wack him on the head, Jiraiya slung an arm over Ranma's shoulder, dragging the pigtailed man closer. "Never thought you'd be the first of us for a family man, Ran, and a kid too."

Ranma smiled, tugging at the ends of his pigtail. "Neither did I... by the way, can I borrow a couple of your frogs sometime?"

"Eh?" Beady-black eyes blinked at him with incomprehension. "Why?"

"Space's getting tight, Jai." Ranma replied, gesturing to the small apartment. "I'm thinking it's time to move out, ya know, get a place big enough for a family... There's a nice piece of land near the forest. I could build a... _home_ there, with some help."

Silence.

"I didn't know you knew architecture." Orochimaru murmured from the wall.

_"Saotome." Nabiki gave him the glare that promised a thousand deaths, "Fix. This."_

_Ranma gulped, and grabbed a discarded mallet from the giant heap of rubble that once resembled a decent dojo, "Fix! Sure! No problem!"_

He shrugged casually. "Eh... just some patching-up when I was younger."

"But why my toads? Why me? You know how much work it's gonna be?" Jiraiya almost pouted. "Why not Tsunade or Orochimaru?"

"Jiraiya you idiot!" Tsunade scowled, embarrassment aside, cuddling the baby to her chest, "Slugs don't have arms, nor do snakes... and I think it's a wonderful idea... oh... Ran! What are you going to name him?"

Ranma grinned, and tugged the ends of his pigtail once more as Jiraiya moved away. "Ah... well... we've been discussing that..."

Golden-brown eyes smiled at him, hugging the baby to her chest with Jiraiya pulling funny faces over her shoulder. "He has his mother's eyes..."

"Pity, isn't it." Orochimaru murmured, and shrugged again as three withering gazes were shot his way.

"Tch, can't you be _nice_ for once?" Jiraiya frowned at his friend, then snorted. "Oh right, I forgot, you're just you."

Golden eyes narrowed.

"Break it off you two." Tsunade hissed, stepping back with the baby as the two glaring at each other.

"Hey!" Ranma declared loudly, clapping his hands together.

Three pairs of eyes stared at him expectedly. He sweatdropped. "Err... about the names, I was er... hoping to hear your guys' opinions."

Silence.

"...Manda's good."

Ranma's eyebrow twitched. Incredulity thick in his voice. "After your snake, Ochi'?"

"Heh." Jiraiya grinned, laughing eyes focused on Ranma as he jerked a thumb at the pale shinobi. "Bad idea, Orochimaru... how 'bout Gamabutan!"

The twitching escalated into a visible vein. "I am _not_ naming my son after a toad..."

Tsunade opened her mouth, golden-brown eyes shinning with mischief, "Of course not, Ranchan, how about..."

"Oh don't even _think_ about it, Tsu-chan!"

Laughter.

"Seriously." Jiraiya said, wiping a stray tear from his eye, "What are you going to name him?"

Ranma smiled slightly, blue eyes glazing in remembrance. "My... father's name was 'dark horse', and my name meant 'wild horse'..."

Jiraiya held up a hand. "Let me guess... 'sea horse'!"

The pigtailed man sweatdropped. "Err... nevermind... I think I'll drop the 'horse' theme..."

"Sea otter?"

"No!"

"Sea urchin?"

"No!"

"Sea lion?"

"No!"

"Sea ox?"

"No!"

"Sea pig?"

"Oh shut _up_ Jai!"

Tsunade laughed.

"This will never change."

-------

Akane's face smiled, and Ranma was caught between the urge to smile back, and bury himself in a deep hole from its innocent brilliantness.

"Did you enjoy yourself today, Husband?"

"I did... Wife." He murmured, "Thank you for... well..." _... getting out of the house so Ochi' won't do the glaring-thing at me so much..._

"It's no problem. I had some loose paperwork to finish up anyway, and Auntie was very pleased by my visit. She wanted me to bring our son next time... were you able to decide a name for him?"

"Well..." He grinned sheepishly, "Jai made a list, so..."

"We shall certainly keep them in mind..." She trailed off softly, the smile fading away. "Ran... Husband?"

"Yes, beloved?" The endearment slipped easily from his tongue, his tone ever sincere.

"Do you think... that you would be able to love me... someday?"

Silence.

"I'm... I'm sorry." Akane's face looked away, long raven braids concealing her face from view. "I shouldn't have."

"... No..." Stormy blue eyes closed, and he was suddenly tired, so tired and painful and regretting every second of his living, breathing existence. "I am sorry."

-------

"I am sorry." She murmured, numb. Her ash-blonde hair disarray from the ponytails, her clothing torn, and dirty with mud and blood that splattered over half of her face, and her hands were shaking. "But I am leaving the Hidden Leaf Village."

He nodded slowly, biting back words of useless sympathy. "Does Sarutobi-san know?"

Tsunade looked away, choking back a sob. "Nawaki and Dan... they were my _world_, and now... I... was hoping... that you could deliver the message to Sensei... I can't... can't face anyone right now."

"I will, Tsu-chan." He wrapped his arms around her slowly, and pulled her to him, inhaling the scent of loss and death as she returned the hug, sobbing quietly into his shoulder. She was soaked, and freezing cold against his body, and it was all that he could do, to offer the simple moment of bodily warmth.

_I'm sorry for your loss, I'm sorry for Nawaki and Dan, I'm sorry, because I know how you feel, to lose your world._

"Where will you go?" He murmured into her dirty hair once the sobs began to die down, clutching her tightly against him.

"Anywhere but here, Ran..." Golden-brown eyes, red and puffy from tears looked up, and she hiccupped, "It hurts, Ran... it's hurts _so_ much. I can't... can't..."

"Shh..." Ranma brushed a brotherly kiss on her forehead before pushing her back gently. "I understand, Tsu-chan, go. I'll do the rest."

Tsunade sniffled, wiping the streaks of tear from her face. "Thanks, Ranchan... take care of Jiraiya and Orochimaru for me, will you?"

He smiled sadly, yet made no promise. "When will you return?"

"Perhaps never..."

-------

TIMELINE – Year Seven, early June.

* * *

o/-Four little monkeys, jumping on the bed-/o  
o/-One fell off, and broke her neck-/o  
o/-Momma called the doctor, and the doctor said-/o  
o/-No more monkeys, jumping on the bed!-/o

Oh yeah!


	15. Reveal

**Part 15 – Reveal**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

"Husband." His wife smiled at him from over the table, her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail on the top of her head. "I'll be visiting Auntie with our son today, will you manage dinner by yourself?"

Ranma nodded, sipping the soup, heavily flavored with the taste of shrimp, and the hint of garlic. It was delicious.

"I'll be fine, Wife. Give Auntie my regards."

"Of course."

Breakfast passed in comfortable silence.

He shrugged on the flack jacket, and was almost out of the door when she called to him again.

"Ran." She said, giving him another smile. "I love you, because I love you."

-------

"No. No. No." Ranma shook his head at the dark-haired boy, grabbing him by the arm and demonstrated. "You raise your arm like _this_, and then push out like _this_."

The boy nodded, and attempted the move without his aid.

"Ahem." A noise at the door.

Ranma looked up, and stiffened the scowl into a look of impassiveness. He turned to his student. "That's enough for now. Take a break, then start reviewing everything we went through today, okay?"

"Okay." The boy nodded, and skipped out of the door, brushing past his pale-eyed visitor.

Hyuuga Hiashi stepped into the training room, closing the door behind him slowly before making his way into the center of the room.

"_If_ this is another rematch you want, I've already given you my answer, Hiashi-san." He hissed softly, frowning at his visitor.

The young man blinked in confusion, before smiling at him faintly in amusement. Bowing, he said. "Hyuuga Hizashi. Umino-san. I am the younger twin of Hiashi-sama, and a member of the Branch House."

"Oh..." Ranma managed weakly, feeling heat rising to his cheeks. "Oh! Umm... sorry, Hyuuga-san."

"Hizashi would be fine, Umino-san." The young man gave him a gleeful smile.

"Hizashi." Ranma nodded. "Can I help you with something then, Hizashi?"

The pale visage sobered. "I came here on matters involving my elder Sister... In-Law, Umino-san..."

"...Hyuuga-san?"

-------

He paused in front of the door, the faint scent of sterilization that he had came to associate with the Hidden Leaf hospital lingering against his nose. Taking a deep breath, he set his shoulders, and knocked.

Pause.

"Go away." The voice was muffled by the door.

He knocked again. "Hyuuga-san? It's me."

Silence. Followed by shuffling noises. The door opened in front of him, and he looked in familiar white eyes.

"Umino-san." She murmured softly. "Please, come in."

He followed her into the room, sitting down on a familiar stool, his fingers brushing against the slim indents he had created years ago, as she fluttered around him, before taking her own seat across him. "This feels familiar, does it not, Hyuuga-san?"

She smiled faintly, her pale visage ashen from residue sickness. "I remember, Umino-san."

"I... heard about what happened, Hyuuga-san..." He began, hesitant in his unfamiliarity with the topic of conversation.

Her hands brushed against the flatness of her belly. "By...?"

"Hizashi."

"Hizashi? When were you on first name basi... Oh..." She shook her head, long violet hair curling around her already pale face. "I think I know why."

"He's worried about you, Hyuuga-san." Ranma commented, noting the lines fatigue that had developed on her face. "And h..."

"It was a boy..." She murmured, cutting him off. "He meant everything to me, Umino-san, _everything_. I gave him my love, my affection, my everything, while he grew within my body. But they took him away from me, because he was... _imperfect_."

"I'm sorry, Hyuuga-san."

"Perhaps it was my punishment... He was going to be my escape from this mockery of a marriage." She continued on, her eyes focused not on him, but the distant wall. "I feel nothing for Hiashi-sama, but our child, I could love."

Ranma stiffened, and the words tumbled out of his mouth with little thought. "Why did you marry Hyuuga Hiashi when you do not love him?"

"I could ask you the same, Umino-san."

Silence.

"That's hardly fair, Hyuuga-san."

She shrugged. "But necessary to what you're seeking, is it not, Umino-san?"

Sigh. "I asked first, Hyuuga-san."

The silence resumed once more.

"My mother..." She began, tilting her head in reminiscence, each word deliberately slow. "She was born into the Branch House... she was extremely talented, a genius in her generation, and she felt that her status as a Branch Member was... unworthy of her."

Ranma blinked, but kept his silence at the seemingly change in topic.

"So she schemed, crawling her way into Hyuuga-sama's bed, and bore me."

"But..."

"Yes, Umino-san." She nodded, pale lips twisting in a not-quite smile. "Hiashi-sama is my half-brother."

"Oh..." He found no adequate reply.

"You should not act so surprised, Umino-san. It's quite common for clans with powerful bloodlines. We try to keep the blood as pure as we can." She shook her head, dark violet hair framing her face.

"What does that have to do with your marriage, Hyuuga-san?"

She laughed softly, shaking her head at him once more. "You do not understand, Umino-san. My mother received her title as Second Wife to Hyuuga-sama before I was born. I was raised proudly as a member of the Main Branch, allowed my fallacies in the medicinal field, and everything that I desired... How surprised I was, when I rebelled against the marriage with my younger half-brother, I was so easily... reduced... to a mere piece of child-bearing flesh."

"I offered you a chance to escape it... once."

"Yes, yes you did." She gave him a small smile. "But I had my obligations. I knew, that I would lose much, had I took your offer... and everything to gain, as the matriarch of the Hyuuga Clan."

He quelled the burst of unreasonable contempt. "Then why now, Hyuuga-san?"

"Ah-ah." She held up a hand. "It's your turn, Umino-san."

Silence.

"Before... a lot of things..." Ranma began, slow and hesitant. "I had a different life, I was the heir to a proud style of... Taijutsu. A well meant, if idiotic father, a mother with some strange ideals, but loved me nonetheless. Friends and rivals I could count on in my moments of need, and I was engaged to a girl whom I cared for, very much. I would have married her in time, become a teacher, and carry on the joining of our families with children of our own..."

"Like you are now." She spoke suddenly, startling him from his reminiscence.

"Yes." He admitted, bitterness swelling within. "I met my wife when she was sixteen, and I charmed her, married her, because... she was the splitting image of my fiancée."

Silence. Ranma felt his heart thumping loudly against his ribcage, his jaws clenched tightly, forcing himself to stop revealing more.

"We are much alike then, Umino-san." Pale eyes closed, and Byakugan opened, boring into him. "Though while I married for power and obligation, you seek to recreate a lost past."

"...Yes." And he felt a heavy weight suddenly lifted from his chest by the admittance.

"Thank you, Umino-san." Violet hair concealed her face as she stood, and bowed to him, Byakugan fading away. "I feel... oddly relieved by our conversation..."

"So do I, Hyuuga-san." Blue eyes watched her as she stepped closer.

Milky white eyes looked down to him, wistful. "Though at times, I regret not taking your offer while I had the chance, Umino-san..."

"Things have changed now, Hyuuga-san. I can't make that offer again."

"I know, Umino-san, I know."

Her lips were suddenly pressed against his, and he jerked back quickly. "Hyuuga-san! I _can't_!"

"Just this once." She murmured softly.

"_I love you, because I love you."_

Ranma sighed.

-------

TIMELINE – Year Nine, late August.

* * *

In which some more stuff happens. Note of thanks to the nifty people on the anifics forum, especially Serafita, who helped to rid the story of all its grammar and spelling failings.

And while Of Dreams and Memories is dedicated to Evil Kasumi, aka Lizmun, aka Lizzie. This chapter was written for Caliban and LeeYiankun of the anifics forums, who pointed out how OOC Ranma was behaving with his pining over Akane, and lo, this was written in an attempt of vague explaination, and bumped the original Part 15 into 16.

Another note I want to make was my deep, heart-felt gratitude for Xofia, because if he didn't review this story, I would not have went to his user ID page, nor would I have poked through his favorites section, and stumbled upon the omgwtfthisbledztehdead AMAZING piece of glorious splendor.

I have seen Euphoria, and its name is 'Let the Curtain Fall'.


	16. Discard

**Part 16 – Discard**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

"Hey..." He called out quietly to the dark silhouette, sandaled feet hitting against the roof tiles lightly with his landing. A few more steps brought him to the other's side, slipping the sake bottle into his companion's hands with a small nod before he sat down.

"How are you feeling?" Ranma inquired after a moment of silence.

"The quantity of high-profile missions assigned to me is getting tiresome." Orochimaru murmured, taking a moment to sip from the porcelain bottle. "Though I suppose I am thankful for the chance to get out of the village for an extended period of time."

He fidgeted with the edges of the Leaf band tied around his neck, before pulling the object loose and tucking it in his flack jacket. "How are you feeling?"

A slight twist of lips was rewarded from his pale companion. "Perceptive of you, Umino."

Blue eyes stared back in silence until gold glanced away.

"Annoyed, Umino, deeply annoyed. And concerned." Orochimaru hissed softly, serpentine gold narrowing in dark anger, pale hand tightening around the bottle until spider webs appeared on the once smooth surface of the porcelain. "Sensei's interest has been shifting elsewhere."

"Jai's old student?" Ranma murmured, recalling shock blond hair and blue eyes that had shed their innocence through the years, yet retained the sense of exuberance to life that had drawn his interest, as well as his desire to teach the boy in the first place.

Silence.

"Don't do anything rash, Ochi'."

A soft chuckle that tinged of resentment, familiar melody against his ears, echoing his own bitter humor, "When have I ever, Umino?"

-------

"Hey, you two!" He paused in the demonstration at the faint shout, blinking in confusion before realizing its source as twin blurs shot out from the trees, bouncing between him and his student in a clash of steel, as well as creative curses before battling their way towards the opposite side of the clearing.

"What the hell?!" Ranma yelped as a loose kunai was knocked his way, trying to match up the faces with the long list of students at the academy, silver-hair and red eyes...

He took a deep breath.

"Uchiha! Hatake! Get back here before you hurt someone!"

Sharingan-eyes glanced his way, and dismissed him just as quickly. Ranma snarled under his breath, and jumped back as another barrage of shuriken missed their mark, almost hitting him as the silver-haired boy danced out of the way.

"Sensei?"

He turned towards his current student. "Ibiki. You okay?"

The boy nodded, wiping away a smudge of dirt from his face, dark eyes looking past him towards the conflicting duo, his expression strongly reminding Ranma of the senior Morino during his analytical moments. "Hatake Kakashi. Age five, child prodigy, a genius among his peers in the academy, and envied greatly by them. Hmm... the other one is Uchiha Ob..."

"_Come on, pig-boy!" He smirked at the other boy, dancing past the boulder smashing his way effortlessly, the massive projectile smashing into the building behind him in an explosion of debris and crumpling mortar. "Tell me you can do better than that!"_

_Ryouga glared back, a sickly green glow gathering around the palm of his hands. "Shi Shi Houkodan!"_

_BOOM._

"Sensei! Umino-sensei!"

He was snapped out of the reverie by Ibiki's shout. "Eh?"

The boy jabbed his finger towards the treetops. "They're coming back this way!"

Ranma bit back a curse as the two blurs settled once more into the clearing in an explosion of blinding dust. "You two, break it up this mo..."

"Evil Wind Shuriken, Shadow Windmill."

Blue eyes narrowed at the sound of whirring metal, cutting a sharp thrill in the air, closing towards him...

"Tousan!"

A small blur suddenly appeared between him and the closing shuriken, chubby arms held wide as if to ward off the coming attack.

_What... No!_

-------

He snapped up in attention as the door opened with a soft click, and quickly made his way to her side, gray blue eyes dark with worry. "Hyuuga-san, how is he?"

She gave him a small, resigned smile. "He's fine, Umino-san, it is good that I was called immediately. We have stopped the blood loss, and he's out of shock, though... the wound is deep enough to leave permanent scarring."

"I see." He breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank you for your troubles, Hyuuga-san."

"You're welcome, Umino-san." She murmured, stepping away, "I enjoy the medic profession, though my Husband has been urging me to _produce_ another heir..."

"Oh..." He frowned slightly.

"It's disconcerting, at the very least." She shrugged, wistful in her words, "But I'm learning to deal with his pride, and possessiveness to what he believes belongs to him. Though at times, I still wished that..."

"Husband!"

A whirl of cherry silk from the door, and the two were jerked away from their private world.

His wife's face watched him anxiously, doe-brown eyes clouding with a mother's fear. "I came as soon as I found out. What happened to our son?!"

Ranma winced.

-------

He sipped from the small cup slowly, tasting the warm and spicy liquid against the tip of his tongue.

"It's not the same anymore, eh?"

He blinked at Jiraiya, who downed his cup in a single gulp.

"Hmm?"

Jiraiya gestured to the empty seats, pouring another cupful. "Haven't heard from Tsunade for over a year..." Fingers paused around the small cup, then he added. "I think... Hmph, when will she realize that running isn't going to solve the problem?"

Ranma snorted. "But it's the only option for her, Jai. Stop blaming her."

"She didn't even say goodbye to me."

Ranma gulped down the content of the cup in response.

"And Orochimaru..." Jiraiya began after a long moment of silence. "He hardly ever shows his face anymore."

"Can't blame him either, Jai. Not with the way Sarutobi-san's been eyeing that student of yours, the one with the blond hair." Ranma added, seeing Jiraiya's blank look. "He's considering retirement, isn't he?"

Comprehension.

"Oh. Right."

"'Sides, you're always off on missions too."

"Nowhere as busy as you with the academy brats."

Silence.

"What happened to your hair, by the way?"

Ranma grimaced, and brushed a hand over the chopped ends.

_It's not the same anymore..._

"Bratty kid with a big shuriken, Jai."

"Heh. Getting slow in old age, eh?"

"Not a chance, Jai." His fists tightened in remembrance of crimson and copper.

A curious gaze. "What did you do?"

Ranma shrugged, gulping down another cup.

"Ah well... You look good enough this way, with the graying and all that." Jiraiya cracked a small grin at him, giving his own messy whites a good tug. "Going to keep it short?"

Ranma snorted, still fingering the frayed edges of his hair. "No way, Jai. I'm growing it out. The day I get rid of my pigtail is the day I die."

-------

..._though of course, Jiraiya was right in his own way. Things weren't the same, and they won't last forever. _

_Tsunade had kept to her promise that she would never return to the Hidden Leaf, and in a way, I am glad for her, because she is finding a way to escape her pains. I hardly see Orochimaru anymore, since he tends to keep to the shadows, though I feel his resentment towards Sarutobi-san would soon drive him to do something drastic._

_There had always been a war around us, and Jiraiya has been constantly pulled away for missions. It saddens me, to watch helplessly as the four of us slowly breaks apart, but life goes on. Such is living... and moving on._

_I owe them much, for their companionship had helped me retain my sanity until I was able to walk on my own, though the price I pay was the life of Saotome Ranma. _

_I missed you in every moment of my existence, but that is of the past. I have lived on without you..._

"Cough. Cough."

Ranma sat the brush down, but did not bother to look up, focusing his attention to the open parchment in front of him, a slight frown on his face as he re-read everything he had written.

"Ahem!"

Shaking his head, he grabbed the scroll, the still-wet ink smudging all over, and tossed it into the metallic trashcan beside the desk. Closing his eyes, he grimaced, focusing a tendril of Chakra around his hand, and expelled it in a single burst of heat on to the scroll.

Voom. The paper browned and crumpled as the green-turn-red fire merrily ate its way down.

"...Umino-sensei."

Ranma looked up, his face impassive as always. "Yes, Hatake Kakashi?"

The boy scowled at him from the corner of the room, holding two little buckets filled with water in his hands, and another bucket on his head. "This is a stupid punishment, Umino-sensei."

Ranma gave his newly assigned student an amused smile. "Who said anything about 'punishment', Hatake? If I recall correctly, you were merely... 'defending yourself from an unwanted challenge that got _slightly_ out of hand'."

The scowl grew more visible under the fabric of his mask. "This is a stupid training then. I have been standing here for _six_ hours, Umino-sensei."

"Patience is a virtue, Hatake Kakashi." Ranma shrugged at him from over the desk, brushing a hand over the back of his neck, the absence of his pigtail keenly felt.

"... It was not _entirely_ my fault, Umino-sensei."

"Of course not, Hatake." Blue eyes stared back casually. "Had it been you who initiated the brawl, it would have been your parents whom I... _visited_... in regards to the... _proper_ education in raising their children to be less of an arrogant brat."

The boy cringed at the mention of the 'visit', and nodded at him. "But I still don't think this is fair, Umino-sensei."

"But it is, Hatake. Despite the fact that the challenges were unwanted, you nevertheless encourage them with your behavior. Instead of going to the proper authorities to stop them entirely, you took it upon yourself to 'handle it', and even going so far as to bait those who have lost against you to 'try again when they get better'."

"It was my problem." Hatake Kakashi retorted, adding a belated, "Umino-sensei."

"Not when innocents are hurt because of your inability to handle them."

Kakashi mumbled something.

"What was that?" Ranma inquired politely, though his accurate hearing had picked up the words with little difficulty.

"...Nothing, Umino-sensei."

He stood up from the desk, stretching out his legs. "If this still feels unfair to you, Hatake Kakashi, why don't we just have a little match to settle..."

The boy gave him a look of absolute horror, and Ranma closed his mouth quickly to prevent the burst of laughter. _That's right... I forgot, he was there too when..._

"_Uchiha-san." Ranma began formally, a neutral expression on his face, even as tiny flakes of ice began to form around him. "Since you made such a... vigorous and... polite... argument regarding your son's punishment for insolence against a staff of the academy, disobedience of direct orders from his senior, causing havoc during class time, and almost killing my son by bringing his private vendetta to the public ground..." He paused, and flashed them a smile that was all teeth. "Why don't we just have a little match to settle this?"_

"I don't believe Uchiha-san and his clan members have left the hospital, though the doctors did mention the casts will be taken off soon..." Ranma gave his student a sidelong look. "But don't worry, to make this _fair_, I won't lay a finger on you, and all you have to do is to hit me once. So how about it?"

Clang. Splash. The buckets went flying.

"Let's go!"

The two disappeared out of the window, neither caring how one of the buckets had spilt its watery contents into the trashcan, dousing the Chakra-induced fire. A single sentence remained, barely visible amidst the burnt paper and sodden ashes...

_...life goes on. Such is living... and moving on._

-------

TIMELINE – Year Eleven, early March.

* * *

In which yet another familiar face is introduced. Have I been ignoring the readers, by the way? I mean, I've seen some questions and speculations placed up, but since about all of them will be revealed as the story progresses along, I didn't bother answering them... so...

Oh! On another note, Ranma is NOT pining for Akane... well, he is, but not to that degree! For goodness sake! Think of his flashbacks as something beyond Akane, more importantly, what she represents.


	17. Split

**Part 17 – Split**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

"Been a while." Jiraiya said suddenly, getting up from the waiting bench.

"Over a year, yes." Ranma nodded, dipping the brush in the ink, and watched the soft white bristles soak up the blackness.

"I heard some interesting gossip about Tsunade when I was in the Wind Country. She's doing good, making a big name for herself..."

"Good or bad?" A small smile played around the corners of his mouth.

"Both." Jiraiya's humor overwhelmed his words. "The Divine Hand, and the Legendary Sucker."

Ranma laughed, the brush temporarily forgotten. "Figures."

"Yeah."

"When are you leaving?" He tapped the brush against the edge of the ink slab, examining the bristles for excess residue.

"As soon as I get the briefing." Jiraiya replied, watching him curiously. "When did you start doing these?"

"Couple of months ago, Sarutobi-san taught me. He said I have a good style." Ranma nodded to the door on the other side of the room. "It's soothing, sort of." He applied the tip of the brush to the paper, and drew out the characters in a blur of flickers of his wrist.

"Sounds like..."

The door opened with a soft click, and shock blond hair poked out, followed by another, shorter, much shorter, and silver.

"Jiraiya-sensei, Umino-sensei." The boy, no, young man with the clearest blue eyes that Ranma had ever seen, grinned with his sunny smile as he pushed a familiar masked child out of the door. "Hokage-sama will see you now, Jiraiya-sensei."

Ranma watched white and blond disappear into the Hokage's office, and sighed softly, dipping the brush into the ink once more.

"Umino-sensei..."

"Umino-san." He corrected, sparing a look at the boy. "How have you been, Hatake? No more... challenges?"

"Umm..."

"Talk." He snapped sharply.

"ThisisthisoneboyMaitoGaihe'smyageandhekeepschallengingmeandcallingmehiseternalrivalandit'sreallyreallyreallynotmyfaultbecausehe'sweirdandneedshelp. Lots of help." Kakashi paused, sucking in a large gulp of air through his cloth mask, and added. "But aside from him, no."

_Maito Gai... where have I heard that name before?_ Ranma paused, sparing Kakashi another look.

"_I'll be taking over Yamano-san's classes until after her cousin's marriage." His wife commented at the dinner table. "I never thought that teaching could be so much work...But I am enjoying it very much."_

"_They aren't giving you trouble, are they?"_

"_No." She gave him an amused smile. "I even met an interesting boy in class today, Maito Gai. He's very... energetic. But a good boy."_

"Uh-huh..." Ranma eyed the parchment in front of him, carefully measuring the remaining areas. "Some rivalries are good for you, as long as they don't get out of hand, Hatake."

Incredulity.

"But... but... but! You don't understand, Umino-sensei!" Another burst of gibberish followed, the silver-haired masked boy making furious gestures with his arms, and even stomping the floorboard several times for good measure.

Ranma simply nodded, listening to his ex-student with half an ear, and continued to write the manuscripts for the Hokage Monument.

Another gulp of much needed air.

"And... and... he keeps wearing that stupid green skintight rubber uniform, insisting it's 'all the rage' and makes him look like a 'sexy beast'!"

"Hatake." Ranma admonished. "Don't make fun of people."

Kakashi pouted. "But..."

"I don't mock you for wearing that mask day-in, day-out, right?" Ranma murmured, inspecting his work with an artist's eye. _Hmm... a few more touches with the brush..._

"Umino-sensei, I saw him trying to get fresh with your wife."

The brush went through the paper and through the table. (1)

-------

_Maito Gai. Age 7. Failed the Academy Graduation Exam at the age of 6. Poor performance in Genjutsu, with only marginally better grade in Ninjutsu. Though he has shown an exceptional insight in Taijutsu, with the way he's blindly focusing on improving his marks in Genjutsu and Ninjutsu, he may be failing this year's exam as well._ Ranma eyed the boy in front of him, and mentally reviewed his wife's words again.

"Maito Gai... come here." He beckoned with a finger.

"Yes Sensei!" The jumpsuit-wearing boy turned from the training post, and skipped closer.

_Hmm..._ Ranma eyed the battered post. _Strong... let's see about endurance..._

Punch.

The small green figure sail back from the force of his strike, smashing, and breaking the wooden post to pieces.

"What did you do that for?!" Maito Gai screeched after he picked himself up from the rubble.

"Hmm..." Ranma nodded to himself in confirmation. "Good endurance, relatively strong... Just like Pig Boy was..."

"..._What_?!" The boy screeched again, sounding completely scandalized by the comment.

"Nothing." He said dismissively. Then blinked, and blinked again, then again for good measure. "Umm... I'm sorry? Really sorry? Please stop that... Maito?"

Ranma sweatdropped, seeing the twin trails of tears continue to gush down Gai's cheeks in great rivulets. _Why does he remind me of someone...? Several someone, in fact..._

The boy sniffled, and the waterfalls trickled down slightly.

"There, the..." Ranma was cut off.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Gai jabbed a finger to his chest, the tears bursting full force, in twin impressive fountains that rose a good foot above his head before freefalling down around his feet. "How could you! Umino-Sensei! First you punch me into a training post!"

"Oh dear..." Ranma managed after hastily dodging the water works, though the boy seemed to be ignoring him completely.

"Then you sully my beautiful manly yet lithe physique..."

"Umm... Maito? Gai?"

"...by comparing me... _me_! The beautiful green beast of the Leaf!"

"Beautiful green beast?" Ranma mouthed, shaking his head. "Err... Gai?"

"...against a member of the porcine specie! Fate is truly cruel against the burning flames of youth!" The finger was suddenly retracted from its position, and clenched into a tight fist.

Ranma blinked some more, and mumbled hesitantly. "Gai? I think your eyes are on fire..."

"...But I shall _not_ give up, even when I am faced with such darkness, no! No! NO! I will prevail by the light of my pure soul! And defeat my eternal rival Kakashi through the strong will of my heart!" Each word punctuated with his fist, pumping up and down in the air, in synch with the rise and fall of the gushing tears.

"Gai!" Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can train you to be on par with Hatake by your Genin exam, but only if you _stop right now_."

The tears, the burning flames, the flamboyant gestures were suddenly absent, and Ranma blinked again as he looked into the serious face of Maito Gai, standing perfectly still in front of him.

"You mean it, Umino-sensei?"

"... Sure. We can start tomorrow morning, be here by five o'clock, sharp." Ranma managed weakly. _Why me? Why always me?_

"Yessssssssss! Thank you sensei!" A blur of movement, and a weight latched itself to his waist, squeezing him hard enough that he felt his ribs creaking.

"Gai... I need to breath..." Ranma managed to squeak out.

"Of course, sensei!" Maito Gai gave him a _big_ grin, and Ranma felt his eyes water at the bright flash of his newly assigned student's pearly whites. "Wait until I tell Kakashi about this, he'll be so jealous!"

"That's..." Ranma stared at the trail of dust in front of him, then to the black dot disappearing into the horizon. "... nice, I guess..."

_Kids these days..._ He sighed, shaking his head, and immediately froze in dread as another thought came upon him. _Oh Kami-sama, what have I done?! I just agreed to teach a hybrid of Pig Boy, Kuno and Tendo-san!_

-------

"Thank you for bringing Ibiki, Morino-san." Ranma said to his former captain.

"It's your son's birthday, Umino." The man nodded, idly jabbing the small cake as they looked over the yard. "I thought Ibiki could do with some more friends his age."

"And I must thank you for inviting Gai along, I'm glad to see him making friends."

"Of course, Maito-san..." Ranma paused suddenly as the three children in question came into view. "Oh dear..."

"Let me at him! Just let me at him!" Ibiki snarled, his typical stoic expression replaced by one of absolute rage. Arms held wide with his hands hooked claw-like, and reaching forward in a choking motion.

His son had two handfuls of the back of Ibiki's coat, with his heels digging into the ground, whilst desperately pulling the older boy back from lunging himself toward Maito Gai.

"THE FLAMES OF YOUTH!" Gai exclaimed loudly, clapping his hands together before pointing at Ibiki in a dramatic fashion that involved several salutes, two thumbs up, and a bright flash of sparkling pearly whites, completely ignoring the inhuman growl that made its way out of Ibiki's throat. "Oh your enthusiasm brings me to tears, Ibiki! What a glorious day it is to play this tag game with you!"

"I'LL RIP YOU TO SHREDS!" Ibiki screamed, shrugging out of his coat before lunging forward, and missed Gai by a margin as the seven-years-old jumped away, disappearing in a trail of dust towards the dojo.

Spitting out of the dirt in his mouth from the failed tackle, Ibiki jumped up, and followed in a dust trail of his own.

"Ouch..." His son mumbled dizzily from the ground. Shaking his head to clear the stars, he discarded the coat, and quickly got up, grinning at the sweatdropping adults. "Don't worry! I have it all under control!"

"DIE!" A scream was heard in the direction of the dojo.

"On second thought..." His son gave him a smile before disappearing in a trail of dust. "I'll be right back!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I'll make tea." His wife smiled nervously, and disappeared into the house.

"I'll help."

"Me too."

"Tea sounds great."

-------

"Ibiki?" Ranma called out, the darkening sky playing shadows in his vision. "Ibiki? You can come out now, Gai just left with his father."

Harsh breathing answered him, and Ranma frowned, quickening his pace towards the back of the dojo. "Ibiki?"

Ibiki was standing at the clearing that separated the dojo from the surrounding forest, his entire body shaking, punctuated with short gasps of breath, his eyes large and wide, staring at...

Blue eyes widened. "You're back."

Serpentine gold shot him a look of pure amusement. "I am."

"Ibiki!" Ranma slapped the petrified boy on the shoulder. "Go back to the house. Ibiki!"

The boy shuddered at the touch, breaking out of his trance. Shooting Ranma a look of pure panic, he turned, and fled to the lighted house.

"My son turned six today. We had a small celebration for him." Ranma explained to the shinobi. "I had no idea that you'd be back from your mission in the Hidden Mist."

"I saw." Orochimaru murmured, golden eyes flickering to the direction of the Umino residence. He turned, and began to walk away.

"Orochimaru!" He called out to the shinobi.

The pale man paused, tilting his head slightly, golden eyes peeking from the curtain of raven, and bore into stormy gray blue in a mixture of anger and resentment. "Why bother, Umino? You don't need me anymore."

Ranma reared back as if he had been punched.

Orochimaru gave him a small smirk, and disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

-------

TIMELINE – Year Thirteen, late-May.

* * *

(1) Thanks to Serafita of the anifics forum, who pretty much wrote 2/3 of that scene, and gave me permission to use it for this story. If it weren't for him, well, I'm probably still stuck on how to bring Maito Gai in the story.

And you can all thank The Clueless on the anfiics forum, who made a pretty convincing argument on why I should introduce Gai into the story. Since originally, I did not plan on including him in. Though I must admit, writing him is fun.

Hmm... what else... Ah yes. I've been pondering on putting this story back in the Naruto section. On one hand, it's all about Ranma Ranma Ranma. But on the other, everything else is all Naruto. And I don't want to stick it in the Anime Crossovers... Choices, choices... Ah well, I'll make a decision on the next update.


	18. Clash

**Part 18 – Clash**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

"Sarutobi-san." Ranma knocked against the doorframe before he entered the room. "You asked for me?"

The Hokage looked up from his pacing around the room, and nodded at him. "Ran. I did. Sit, sit."

He bowed slightly, and sat down as the Hokage took his own seat behind the massive desk, though the old man's movements seemed strangely slow and sluggish.

"How are the classes at the academy? No more incidents, I hope?"

Ranma tugged against the ends of his pigtail unconsciously. "None, Sarutobi-san. Thank you for your concern."

"Mmm..." The Hokage commented, chewing on the ends of his pipe.

"Sarutobi-san." Ranma said, "Is there something you wish to inform me?"

Sigh. Sarutobi rubbed his eyes, suddenly looking tired and weary in his age. "My apologies, Ran, I know you're adjusting well to teaching, but there is a mission that requires your attendance... "

The old man paused, speaking as if affirming himself, "Though the hunter-nin would be more suitable for this... or even... well, Jiraiya will not return for another month, and time is rather vital on our hands. I'm afraid that I must ask you..."

He blinked, surprised even as a heavy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. "May I inquire the identity of my... _target_, Hokage-sama?"

"It's... Orochimaru."

"..."

-------

Azure orbs peeking from behind the mask, staring intently into gold.

"Surrender, Orochimaru." He demanded tonelessly, slowly moving away from the safe coverage provided by the trees. "Reinforcements will soon arrive. You would not be able to escape."

A malicious smile twisting his pale face, Orochimaru retorted mockingly, unconcerned. "Are you certain?"

The words were driven with a vicious hiss, and Ranma bit his tongue, the action hidden behind the feline mask, refusing to rise to the bait as he waited, tensely.

"Why don't we..." Pale hands began a rapid succession of familiar seals, "Test this!"

Ranma muttered a soft curse under his breath, the katana out of its scabbard in a single metallic hum even as the surroundings blurred around him, the hissing of serpents and the smell of musk filling the clearing. _Genjutsu, I hate Genjutsu._

Steel clashed against illusion, and he held on, willingly embracing the freezing chill that rose from within him.

_I'm not going to hold back...Not for this._

_Sight._

The world flickered in his eyes, and became darkness.

_Sound._

The clash of steel sang in a high pitch, before dulling to nothing.

_Smell._

Fresh pine needles, tingeing with the musky scent of wet moss... faded.

_Taste._

The bitterness against his tongue was suddenly absent.

_Touch._

And there was none left for him but darkness and the cold.

His conscious separated from his body, and delved into a void of its own making, leaving the human shell behind in mortal combat while he floated in the darkness and cold, unaware. Was he moving? Was the katana still in his hands? Was his heart still beating its ever-constant rhythm against his chest? Was he... alive?

Nothing but the darkness answered him.

_Is this what it feels like to die?_

Time passed.

Pain that he should not have felt exploded into his willing prison, and he was suddenly, violently ripped away from the conscious darkness, and back into his body.

Ranma gave a shuddering, startled gasp, the taste and feel of air almost foreign against his tongue, the silence of the night loud against his ears, and he was reeling from the overload sensation. Of blooming color in his eyes, with the familiar scent of pine needles and wet moss assaulting his sensitive nose.

"You closed down all your senses and went into _it_..." Orochimaru murmured from somewhere above him, beads of sweat flowing along his brow and temple, his previously pristine clothing ripped and stained with slivers of red, and he too, was panting slightly from the exertion.

Ranma grunted, lurching blindly from his kneeling position on the ground. Pale hands gripped his wrists with bruising force, and he stiffed a cry of pain when the receding pain along his back bloomed once more as he was slammed roughly against the tree.

"I wasn't going to hold back for this..." Stormy blue eyes half-lidded with exhaustion, he managed to croak out with a mocking twitch of lips, hidden behind the safety of the porcelain mask.

"A powerful technique... Though you seem to have forgotten..." Orochimaru hissed softly against his ear, pinning his own battered and bleeding form against the tree easily with his hands. "Pointless against me."

"What the hell are you..."

Another pulse of pain from his back, much sharper and focused than before.

Realization. "The mark."

Pale chin dipped slightly in agreement, and he almost sneezed as wisps of raven tickled against his nose. "Of course. Everything has a price, Umino. You were just too stupid to realize it."

"_Do you trust me?"_

"_Always."_

"Don't underestimate me!" He shot back though gritted teeth, blue eyes narrowing in concentration behind the porcelain mask. The temperature took a drastic drop around him, declining into a frozen chill that spread from his mere presence.

The hands tighten their hold around his wrists, blue glared into serpentine gold, who merely looked back, amused, and unconcerned with the spreading ice that radiated from their contact even as the air became thinner, tingling with the steady rising of sharp chill...

...Until several loud, satisfying crunches echoed in the clearing, following by a loud gasp of pain, and the sudden, but steady receding cold.

Smirking, Orochimaru released his arms, deliberately shaking his hands in front of Ranma to rid the last fading numbness as the pigtailed ANBU cradled his arms to his chest, panting heavily from the shock of having every bone in his wrists shattered and imbedded into the flesh.

"That was stupid, very stupid." Orochimaru murmured, brushing his fingers along the porcelain smoothness of his mask, startling him from his hazy of confusion and pain. "I know you too well, Umino. That old man was a fool to let you come after me."

The chilly breeze of the night ruffled his sweat-drenched face, and the mask fell limply to his feet, a pale hand cupped his cheek, almost gently. Yet golden eyes triumphed above him.

"At least I found you." Ranma glared back viciously.

"Much good it's done for you. I can kill you easily right now." Orochimaru continued in a bored tone, gripping Ranma by his chin until the two were eye to eye. And gold expanded, becoming his world. Dimly, he heard the pale shinobi murmur, "Or did you forget, you're too _weak_."

_Blood dribbling down her chin, her body crumpled on the ground, weak, too weak to protect herself, let alone anyone else..._

_Death... caused by foolishness and arrogance._

"_We will never be able to restore your full strength."_

_Kijin Raisu Dan. And the woman was sliced cleanly in half, eyes wide with terror and incomprehension of her sudden demise. His hands were clean, and dirty with her death. _

_Bile was rising in his throat, but he knelt down, and dipped his hands in the crimson pool..._

"_Mommy? Where is my Mommy?"_

_Waking up to Tsunade's fear, Jiraiya's concern, and Orochimaru's silence, everything was a dream? Please, let it be a dream. No... the coppery tang in his mouth, and red under his fingernails, he can't wash them off..._

_The girl's face breaking out a breathtaking smile, so alike, so alike to her, but she's not..._

"_You're dying, Umino-san."_

"_You were the means to what I wanted, Ran."_

"_This is my grave."_

"_Husband, I just want to know... will you love me one day?"_

"_You seek to create a lost past."_

_Akane gave him a sweet smile..._

Ranma doubled over, the painful grip around his wrists loosening as the images flashed over his eyes, faster and faster.

"S-stop this!" Wetness trailed down his cheeks, warm and salty. His clothes were drenched with sweat, and his arms were shaking from something other than the pain in his wrists. _Genjutsu, it's just Genjutsu... Damn you!_

"You hate it, don't you?" Orochimaru's voice drifted past his hazy mind, the words rich with the arrogance, as he had first known the other man. "It's in your eyes, Ran. The turmoil within you, even after all these years, still clinging to your past."

Fingers dug in his scalp, and he was forcefully pulled up to face the pale shinobi, his head hit against the tree, and brittle bark dug into his neck and shoulder. "Look at me."

He did. The last bitter tear trailing down from stormy gray blue eyes.

"Ran... Come with me." Orochimaru murmured softly, releasing his painful hold. "I can make you forget everything, take you away from your wretched existence in that equally pathetic village. You'll live, without the memories of pain. I will give you a _purpose_ to your existence."

-------

TIMELINE – Year Sixteen, early August.

* * *

Ahh... the inevitable confrontation. Thanks to the nifty peeps at the anifics forum, who helped with the grammar and spelling of this story, especially Serafita, wai!


	19. Choice

**Part 19 – Choice**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

"_Ran... Come with me. I can make you forget everything, take you away from your wretched existence in that equally pathetic village. You'll live, without the memories of pain. I will give you a purpose to your existence."_

The breath was caught in his throat. _Forget... everything?_

Gray-blue and serpentine gold; eyes that held equal shares of smothered anger, sadness, a dark despair of life, and sheer stubbornness or arrogance to give in.

_It would be an easy escape, to go with him, to lose yourself, and leave this fakery of a life behind. It's not your home, and she's not Akane._

Thoughts passed his mind in a torrent of confusing images...

Engaged in drinking contests with Jiraiya, always losing while Tsunade screamed at both of them for being idiots, and Orochimaru sitting silently to the side, always, always present...

The young woman who shared such a painful familiarity with Akane, her eyes lighting up in pleasure as they rested upon him, and hurt him deep within with each brilliant smile...

Those same eyes, closing before the tears could fall as she turned away from him, silently asking for _something_ from him...

His own face, looking back at him from the mirror, such despair in those stormy-blue orbs, barely past thirty, his hair already graced with streaks of gray, he couldn't recognize himself...

"_I am Saotome Ranma! Heir to the Anything Goes Style of Martial Arts, and I accept your challenge!"_

"_Call me Ran."_

"_Welcome to the Hidden Leaf Village, Special Jounin Instructor...Umino Ran."_

Blue eyes glazing in confusion, and he looked away from gold, silently asking, silently pondering, yet receiving no answer to his existence from within.

_Who am I anymore?_

The face of a boy flashed before his eyes. Shoulder-length brown hair curling around his oval-shaped face, with doe-brown eyes, and a large scar running horizontally across the bridge of his nose.

"_Tousan?"_

_He froze, before deliberately relaxing, and continued to wrap the bandages around his thigh. "Go to sleep."_

_Soft footsteps. "What are you doing?"_

_Ranma sighed, quickly strapping the small holster to his other leg. "Tousan needs to do something. Now, go to sleep."_

_Innocent brown eyes stared back, the dolphin stuff-toy hanging limply in the boy's arms. "Tousan... you're ANBU?"_

"_Was." Ranma murmured, running a hand down the metallic smoothness of his chest cover. He flashed the boy a small, tight smile before giving the end of his braid a tug, pulling the string loose. "Tousan just... needs to wrap up some unfinished business." _

"_Oh..." His son took another step into the room. "Why did you take off your pigtail, Tousan?"_

_His hands stilled at the back of his head, hesitating, before pulling up the ponytail. "Because."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because."_

"_Why?"_

"_Be..."_

"_Tousan!" The nine-year-old pouted at him cutely._

_Ranma signed in resignation, and gestured to himself. "Alright. Come here."_

_The boy giggled, and skipped into his lap, the stuff toy clutched against his chest. "Why?"_

"_I was in ANBU before I became a teacher..." Ranma began slowly. "And my duty as ANBU... it was... difficult for me to accept at the time. But due to... circumstances, there were no other choices for me."_

"_Uh-huh..." The small bundle of warmth murmured from his lap, and he smiled despite himself._

"_I was not... fond of myself in those days. When I took on this mask, and this uniform, I gave myself another na..." He bit his lips, and shook his head, "I gave myself another appearance, because some part of me believed that it wasn't I who performed those deeds, but someone else..."_

_The boy tilted his head cutely, brown eyes already glazing over from the confusion of attempting to understand the explanation. Brushing back wisps of brown hair, he looked up to stormy gray blue. "But Tousan... you'll always be Tousan, no matter what you look like, right?"_

_Silence._

"_Tousan?"_

"..._Of course." Ranma laughed, "Of course I am!"_

_Wrapping his arms around the boy in a tight hug before ruffling his son's hair, initiating a burst of giggles from the boy. "Want to help this idiotic old man braid his hair again?"_

"_Yay!"_

_Small, clumsy hands pulled and tugged at his hair, and it was all he could do to keep from throwing back his head and laugh. Laugh at his idiocies, laugh at his childish confusion, laugh at the answer that he had been seeking for so long, yet all the while, it had been right in front of him. _

"_I see someone is awake, when he should be sleeping." A soft, lyrical voice said from the door. _

"_Oops." His son giggled, and fumbled down from his lap. "Sorry Kaasan."_

"_Forgiven, young man..." The woman who bore Akane's face smiled. "Only if you go to bed now."_

_Arms wrapped themselves around his waist, soft brown hair tickling his bare arm as a small head nuzzled against him. "I'll wait for you here, Tousan, come back soon."_

_He watched his son disappear in the door, the stuff toy in hand, before turning to his wife. The pink kimono suited her well, with her waist-length hair framing her lithe form; she had let it grow after their marriage, opting more for the role of a housewife..._

"_Leaving soon?" She murmured, stepping closer._

"_Before the sunrise, yes." He brushed a hand against his 'pigtail' tentatively, and grimaced at the number of tangles he encountered._

"_Let me help." Slim hands tugged his hair, fingers nimble due to years of training in Genjutsu and Chakra control._

"_Thank you, Wife."_

"_You're welcome..." The fingers stilled, then released his braid. "Ran... I will also wait for you."_

"_What if I don't come back?" He said suddenly._

"_Then... I will continue to wait for you, until you come home."_

"I... cannot." Ranma's lips quirked into a soft smile, a small pool of blood gathering by his feet, fueled by the steady drip from his wrists. "This is my grave, Orochimaru."

_Wretched life it may have been, to live in the shadow of a lost dream, and torn destiny. I lost everything, but I have accepted this loss, and moved on. I will not die, nor will I forget._

"I can't let you live." Orochimaru said, pulling out a kunai. "But I'll make this as painless as I can." Was there a hint of regret in those carefully blanked eyes? Ranma couldn't tell, he was too busy thinking up all the ways of how his life sucked.

"Enjoy your afterlife, Umino." And the small blade was speeding towards his face.

He was going to die, killed by Orochimaru, because he was too weak, too weak to defend himself, too weak to save himself.

_Too weak..._

The blade embedded into the tree with a dull 'thunk'.

The comforting, ever present weight at the back of his head was suddenly gone. Ranma's pigtail slid down from the kunai, the beginning of the braid unraveling across his lap. A thin line of red was appearing from one side of his neck, he had twisted his face away at the last second, the kunai only grazing the skin, cutting off his pigtail instead of slicing his throat open.

Stormy blue stared into serpentine gold once more, and smirked.

"Perfect." Ranma whispered softly, "Shi Shi Hokoudan."

The world tilted in his eyes, lighting up in the most breath-taking shade of green, bathing him within its center. He could feel the tree behind his back being pulverized by the sheer force of the blast, the ground under him steadily giving way, forming into an expanding crater.

_Hold it. Hold it. Hold it just a little more..._

It hurt, like liquid fire through his veins, his body being sucked dry, as if his soul was slowly leaking away, sipped away by the expanding green.

_I can't die, not yet. _And the green... vanished, leaving only the silence in its wake, followed by the sound of his harsh panting. _Kami-sama, it hurts to breathe._

"Seems like I've underestimated you, again." Orochimaru murmured, appearing next to him. Clothes ripped and covered in dust and soot, his right arm hanging limply by his side, with hints of bruises and scrapes peeking from under his torn garment.

"Oh... you're still alive." Ranma managed to croak out. His eyelids felt so heavy, and black spots were appearing in his eyes. It was getting harder and harder to see, as the pale shinobi was becoming more blurry by the second.

A sound in the distance alerted the two from their standoff. "What do you know..." Ranma panted, air was burning its way down to his lungs, "Reinforcements _are_ arriving, Ochi'."

"Hn, so they are." Orochimaru stepped away, his good hand pressing against his arm.

One step. Two. Three. Four...

Serpentine gold looked back. "Next time we meet, I'll kill you."

Orochimaru disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Ranma smirked, and then winced as the slight movement brought a wave of agony throughout his entire body. Everything hurt... perhaps it was ok to take a nap... Just a small nap...

"Ran!"

_Jiraiya...?_

-------

TIMELINE – Year Sixteen, early August.

* * *

I'm ah... getting very bored with writing. The sight of MSWord makes me feel nauseous, and I'm finding myself enjoying the lethargy of reading more and more...

Guess I should be glad that I've written everything in advance.

Oh, and QuickEdit 2.0 annoys me... greatly.


	20. Awake

**Part 20 – Awake**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

Poke. Poke.

"Mmm..." He muttered sleepily, and shifted away from the tickling discomfort.

Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke.

"Go'way." Curling tightly into himself, he stuck his head under the fuzzy darkness. _Mmm... sleep._

Pokepokepokepokepokepokepoke.

He refused to budge. _Sleep good._

A deep breath. "Ranma you IDIOT!"

"Gak!" He fumbled up from between twisted coverlet, and banged his head against the wall, eyes shut tight from the light, and the sudden sense of loss and bewilderment.

A pair of hands tugged on his arm as Akane gave him an amused smile. "Took you long enough, Ranma."

"Oh... morning Akane..." He smiled back tentatively.

"Morning." She gave him another smile. "Come on, Ranma, you don't want to be late for graduation, do you?"

"Of course not!" He replied enthusiastically, and jumped off the futon, fully dressed. "Thanks for waking me up! I had a strange dream last night..."

"Uh-huh..." She commented without looking back, pulling him out of the room.

Ranma found himself standing in the living room, the bright light of the morning sun shining from the slide doors that led to the dojo. He quickly took his place at the table, and simply basked in the warm comfort of the room.

"Good morning, Ranma." Nodoka smiled at him from the side, and Genma panda offered him a rough grunt before resuming to his breakfast.

Nabiki was sipping her first cup of coffee, and looked more awake by the second. Tendo Soun folded the newspaper and placed it aside as Kasumi sat the last bowl of soup in front of him with an ever-gentle smile. "See if you like this, Father, I've been testing a new recipe."

(Ah, Kasumi.) The panda sign came up, then flipped around. (Your cooking is as delicious as always.)

"Why thank you, Saotome-san." Kasumi smiled, holding a hand to her mouth. "Where is Happosai-sensei, by the way? He's going to miss breakfast."

"Don't worry about him, sis..." Nabiki rolled her eyes as the two patriarchs squeaked and made shushing gestures at Kasumi. "I think he's still holed up in his room after what you did to his precious collections, Saotome."

Ranma shrugged, completely unabashed. "The old pervert had it coming."

Nabiki smirked from over the rim of the coffee cup. "You don't hear me complaining, Saotome... He's going to want revenge, you know."

"You worried about me, Nabiki?" Ranma grinned.

"Just protecting my investment, Saotome." She retorted with a small smile. "Tokyo U is expensive, even with my scholarship."

"Figures." Ranma took a sip of the soup, blue eyes sliding towards the youngest Tendo sister. "I'll be fine... As long as it's not going to be another Soba Noodle incident, right Akane?"

She scowled at him, before the scowl suddenly turned into a devious smirk that quickly wiped the grin from his face. "If you say so, Ranma..."

_Uh-oh..._

"I cooked breakfast this morning, and since you're so confident in facing Happosai, why don't you have a bite?"

_Dammit!_

"Umm... Akane... That's quite alr..." He wilted as she gave him 'The Look', and nodded meekly. "Yeah, sure. Just one bite."

She smiled happily, and he felt a warm, fuzzy feeling enveloping him at the smile... Which soon turned to a grimace as she placed a large plate in front of him.

"Akane?" He prodded the content of the plate, a large blob of reddish black that oozed thick goop of mucus from a dozen miniature spores on its surface. "I think it's alive..."

"Of course it's alive." Akane gave him a sweet smile. "Don't you..."

Click. A single chip appeared on her face, spider web cracks soon spreading quickly throughout her body.

"...like..."

Spreading, spreading, spreading into this picture of serenity...

"...it..."

...and shattered into a thousand pieces.

"...so...?"

The world tumbled into slow moving gray.

"Hooochaaaaaaaaaa!" His back flaring from the burning pain, Happosai appeared in front of him, cackling wildly.

"Shut up!" He roared, shaking his fist at the old man, completely at ease despite the rapidly changing background. "I'll just find the old hag!"

"Oh but Son-In-Law!" Happosai's face twisted, hair popping out from his head in giant spurts. Cologne cackled, waving her staff at him. "You must take Shampoo on a date first!"

"What?! No!" He retorted angrily. "Just fix this before I beat it outta ya, old hag!"

"I'll beat it out of _you_, Saotome!" Cologne cackled again, and exploded, literally. The remains of an arm morphing into Ryouga, a large chuck of thigh into Mousse, Kuno rose from the top portion of the scalp with his bokken raised, the three advancing towards him as more people formed from the bits and pieces of blood and gory that littered around him.

Konatsu. Ukyou. Shampoo. Akane. Kodachi. Hinako. Genma. Nodoka. Happosai. Cologne. With more familiar faces forming from behind them.

Closing in on him in a clamor of noise and movement and confusion and he could not move a single muscle.

A flash of darkness and light...

He stared down, down, down, the vast blue coming closer, closer, closer. No... he was the one who was closing the distance between them, the wind screaming in his ears as his body whizzed through the air.

He took a deep breath. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH..."

SPLASH.

It was suddenly cold, so chilling cold. Water rushed into her mouth and nose, she...

... couldn't breathe...

... as he stared at the child, who gave her another cheerful smile. "What's wrong, Saotome-san?

She was still smiling, even as the hunter-nin appeared behind her, pressing a kunai to her exposed throat. Still smiling, as the man slit her throat in a single, merciless stroke.

"Weak." He commented in boredom as the child crumpled to his feet, and he was suddenly in front of her, cruel fingers digging into her scalp, blue eyes watering from the pain, she looked up to his smirking face, crooning mockingly. "Protect? You can't even protect yourself."

He laughed, and brought his face closer to hers. "And the best part of this is, you've brought them their death, because you were just an ignorant, pathetic little girl."

Her ribs grinding painfully against each other, but she knew he was right, and it was all her fault, the guilt choking her, she...

... couldn't breathe...

Pale eyes watched him dispassionately as she drove another needle through his heart, and Ranma screamed from the pain.

"What's wrong, Umino-san?" She gave him a humorless smile, and stabbed him again with the needle. "Didn't you say you want to be cured?"

The green flames of the Shi Shi Hokoudan suddenly bathed him in its suffocating warmth, and he bit down on her neck, tearing flesh and bone that dissolved in his mouth, the taste of blood salty against his tongue, sweet and revolting that he wanted to gag, and he...

... couldn't breathe...

"Husband..." His wife smiled at him. "I said I will also wait for you..."

He smiled back tentatively. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me." Her eyes hardened. "It's time to go back to your grave. It's where you've chosen, isn't it?"

He looked down, following the line of her sight, and stared at his hand in absolute horror. The skin was bloated and peeling from the bone, the remaining bits of flesh a disgusting shade of green, purple, and black, with bits of fungus and mold growing all over, and crawling with maggots amidst the oozing thick globs of fluid.

Ranma looked up, the image of his wife shifting into a large mirror, and screamed at his decaying visage, even as his hollow chest collapsed into itself, the crumpling bones digging into his intestines, and he...

... couldn't breathe...

His fingers scrabbled frantically at the kunai lodged in his throat, the metal handle slick with his blood. Orochimaru nodded to him, regret lingering in his golden eyes. "I told you I'll kill you when we met again..."

He coughed, and managed to wretch the kunai out of his throat, but he...

... couldn't breathe...

Flames rose everywhere, engulfing him within their burning depth as the giant phoenix formed in front of him, its breath hot against his scorched skin, burning into his throat...

**_I... SEEK..._**

...and he couldn't breathe.

-------

Blue eyes snapped open into the harsh light, sightless. Followed by a long, hollow wheeze as he attempted to choke the air down to his lungs.

Screams, there were screams around him, and flurries of frantic activities.

"...spiratory system too much ! Somebody seda..."

"...ressure dropping, get me..."

"...in a freaking coma, a vegetable! For Hokage's sake..."

"..._was_ stabilized! _Was_! Now stop..."

"...kra depletion! His body is shutting do..."

"...ousan! _Tousan!_"

"Get out of my way! Get. Out. Of. _My. Way_!" Slim fingers slipped into his hand, and grasped below his wrists. "It'll be alright, Husband, it'll be alright..."

_Wife... I... _He attempted a smile that made the tube in his mouth dig painfully against the back of his throat. _Even if this is my grave..._

Doe brown eyes appeared in his field of vision, a gentle touch against his forehead. "Husband, it'll be alright, I'm here with you."

He grasped the slender hand in his grip, ignoring the sharp flare of pain from his wrist. His lips parted with difficulty, and a half-gurgle escape his throat.

"Ran?" She leaned down towards him, her eyes dark with worry.

"I..." He maneuvered the plastic tube to the side of his mouth, and tried again. "I... ca...me back."

"Yes..." She smiled through her tears, and her fingers tightened around his. "You did."

-------

TIMELINE – Year Sixteen, early November.

* * *

Thanks again to the nifty peeps at the anifics forum for grammar and spelling. And ya, I'm still stuck on the 'writing' part. Drop me a line, Lizzie! Pretty please? 

QuickEdit 2.0 is an abomination when its loading speed is involved!


	21. Mend

**Part 21 – Mend**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

Spots of light danced behind his closed eyelids, before a shadow descended upon him. A hand touched against his forehead, fingers brushing against his bangs.

Ranma grabbed the hand before it slipped away, bolting up from his cozy spot on the bed. "_Tsuna_..."

He closed his mouth quickly, and swallowed the lump of disappointment when pale eyes stared back, surprised.

"My apologies, Hyuuga-san." He released her hand slowly. "I thought you were..."

"I understand, Umino-san."

He shifted in the bed, leaning back as she stuffed a pillow behind him. "What happened? And how long was I out?"

"You were brought back to the village by Jiraiya-sama several months ago, Umino-san, in critical condition. I was called in for assistance, and we managed to stabilize most of your wounds without disrupting your... unique Chakra pathways."

"Another coma then?" He asked.

"Yes." Her hand still resting on his shoulder, she nodded. "But your body was healing itself while you slept, you were in no danger of death, thus we believed you were out of the danger."

Blue eyes closed as he recalled memories of frantic screams, disorientation, and a familiar face, weeping in happiness above him. "My wife... and my son?"

"They've been watching over you ever since, waiting for you to wake up. They... we were all taken by surprised with the violent reactions your body went through when you woke."

"Oh..." He brought a hand to his throat. "I remember. What happened afterwards?"

"Your body was in danger of shutting down from the shock, Umino-san. But fortunately, you pulled through." She paused again, slim fingers tracing down his shoulder. "We couldn't risk letting your body fall into another coma. You were very weak after the second operation, so you were placed under a Chakra-induced trance. You woke up several times, and your body responded well..."

"I don't remember." Ranma cut in softly.

"They were very brief." She explained. "You were fully released from the Jutsu today. I have been waiting."

"Oh... Thank you, Hyuuga-san." Her hand trailed down further to his back, and Ranma shivered as the digits brushed against the mark, a simple, miniscule kanji that had mutated from Weak after _that_ night.

"I knew that _he_ did something to cure you, Umino-san. But at what price?"

Ranma shifted, and moved away from her touch. "It matters not, Hyuuga-san. What happened... has ended."

"But..."

The door banged open, a small blur flew into the room, and on to the bed, slamming into Ranma.

"Tousan! You're awake!"

Ranma laughed, hugging the boy against his chest tightly, burying his face in the soft brown hair. He heard her sigh, and looked up.

His wife stood at the door, brown eyes intent not on him, but _her_. The two shared a long look, before pale eyes looked away, offering a small nod, which his wife returned, and walked out of the door.

"They let me hold this." Ranma looked down to his grinning son, presenting the small string in the palm of his hands proudly.

"Oh..." Ranma blinked.

"_Airen!" Shampoo glomped him. "Shampoo bring whisker back, Airen want Shampoo comb hair?"_

Small hands tugged at the frayed edges of his hair. "Want me to braid your hair, Tousan?"

"Not long enough, young man." His wife said, pulling the boy down from his lap. "Now come down, your father needs his rest."

"But he just woke up!" The nine-year-old whined, waving the string in the air. "What I should I do with this then?"

_"No way, Jai. I'm growing it out. The day I get rid of my pigtail is the day I die."_

His lips twitched, and he plucked the string from his son's hands, eyeing the boy. "I have the perfect idea."

-------

Ranma looked up at the knock, and the door opened as shock blond slipped in.

"Yondaime." The greeting slipped past his tongue, heavily with bitterness.

"Not yet, Umino-sensei, the ceremony had been pushed back to April." Cerulean eyes watched him, the young man gestured to the chair by his bed. "May I sit?"

"Please." He replied stoically.

Blond hair blobbed, and the young man sat down in the chair, fidgeting. "This is awkward, Umino-sensei."

"Umino would be just fine, I am not your teacher anymore, and I have not you your teacher for a long time, Yondaime." Ranma winced, and bit his tongue at the crestfallen look shot his way. "Forgive me, I am being childish."

"Of course, Umino..." A slight pause. "San."

Ranma nodded. "How many knew?"

His visitor looked relieved at the change of topic, and quickly replied. "A very small number, Umino-san. The mission has been classified by the Hokage, aside from myself and Jiraiya-sensei, no one else knew your assignment was to go after _him_."

Silence.

"I see... That's good. That's very... good" Ranma nodded, and spoke again when cerulean eyes shot him a look of curiosity. "My past dealings with ANBU were not details I mentioned often, or even at all, and I prefer to keep it that way."

"I will speak to the hospital staff, and quell downany unnecessary gossip, Umino-san."

"Thank you."

"It's the least I can do."

-------

"Hey..."

He looked up to the windowsill. "Hey."

"Sorry. The doctors won't let me visit after hours, since you're still under observation." Jiraiya murmured softly, lowering his voice to a small whisper. "Just wanted to check on ya when I heard you woke up. Heh... gave the medic quite a run, didn't you?"

"Yeah..." Ranma managed a small grin for his white-haired friend. "I think so."

A moment of silence.

Jiraiya shifted from the window, but did not enter the room. "Sensei shouldn't have sent you after him. I don't think he realized how close you two were."

"Hmm?"

"Don't give me that look, Ran." Jiraiya was frowning at him, watching him with dark, wise eyes. "I know you were good friends with him."

Ranma looked away. "What's your point?"

"Nothing..." Jiraiya sighed, "I need a favor."

"Eh?"

"I'm leaving the village. Think you can drop the message to Sensei after you recover?"

"Jai..."He managed, after swallowing the shock. "Why?"

A bitter smile. "It's past time already, Ran. Tsunade's got a head start on me, with her making such a name for herself, and with Orochimaru gone... well, somebody needs to keep an eye on him. I always wanted to travel around a bit, 'sides..."

_There's nothing here left for me._

"... Of course, Jai. Good luck."

"Thanks Ran. I'll remember you." Jiraiya disappeared from the windowsill.

Silence.

"You were wrong, Jai..." Ranma murmured softly, staring at the far wall. "Orochimaru was never my friend..."

_Smirking, the pale shinobi pushed the bottle into his hands with a soft whisper. "Welcome."_

"_It's a dangerous time, Ranma-kun." A deliberate emphasis on the honorific that made him twitch..._

"_Neither could I, Ranma-kun, neither could I." A thirst for power... and darkness that rivaled his own..._

"_It'll be a grueling pace, Ranma-kun... Can you keep up?" Certainty, and concern..._

"_Going to accept, Ranma-kun?" Curiosity..._

"_Learn to accept your face, Ranma-kun, and thrive." Supporting him through his crumbling sanity..._

"_What will you do?" A constant presence in every challenge he faced..._

_Nimble fingers running down his scalp, combing his hair in slow, gentle strokes. The scent of crisp pine and wet moss tickling his nose, pulling him from the clinging darkness of the Neko-ken..._

"_You were the means to what I wanted, Ran." The bitterness of betrayal..._

"_Do you trust me?" Close... closer than anyone he had allowed to be..._

"_Ran... Come with me..." An ultimate temptation..._

"_Next time we meet, I'll kill you." And final goodbye..._

Stormy blue eyes closed tiredly.

"He was my kin."

-------

TIMELINE – Year Sixteen, late December.

* * *

Poor little monkeys, they're down to one. Note of thank, as always, to the peeps at anifics forum, spelling, grammar, the gigs.


	22. Death

**Part 22 – Death**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2 and Naruto belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and Masashi Kishimoto. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

"Umino-san."

Ranma looked up at the mention of his name, and smiled at his visitor. "Hyuuga-san. Please, sit down."

He fussed around her until she was comfortable, before taking his seat next to her, the slim stack of homework pushed aside on the desk. "What brings you here, Hyuuga-san?"

"Hizashi." The name was uttered with a mixture of tolerated irritation and amusement. "I believe he wished to show Neji the Academy before enrolling him."

A quirked brow. "Isn't Neji still in diapers?"

She gave him a wry smile. "Fatherhood excites Hizashi much."

"Ah."

Silence.

"I am glad, Umino-san, very glad for his companionship." Slim hands curled around her mid-section as she continued, her gaze drifting out the window. "Hyuuga-sama is displeased with us… as always."

Ranma frowned. "You play a dangerous game."

"Of course, Umino-san." She bared her teeth in a strange smile. "But let us speak this matter no more."

"As you wish, Hyuuga-san." He sighed, and rubbed his eyes in resignation. "So… umm… Have you decided on a name yet?"

"The heirs of the Main Branch are named after the patriarch of the clan, Umino-san." Pale eyes softened in humor, she grinned. "Or in this case, the matriarch."

"Oh." Ranma replied, brushing his hand atop her swollen belly. "Hinata, then?"

"Yes." Hinata smiled at him, resting her hand over his. "Hinata."

-------

Fire cackled along his skin, tingling every nerve within his body into soundless resonance. He ignored the sensation and grabbed the discarded jacket.

"Do not." Slim hands grabbed him, and his vision was suddenly filled with misting brown eyes. "Please do not go. Whatever happens, the Yon…"

"I have to." Ranma muttered softly, hands grasping the flack jacket tightly before slipping it on loosely.

The distant roar of Chakra grew closer to his senses, and he grimaced as the flicker sensation of heat and flames brushed against him, eliciting a faint stirring of reptilian coils and sibilant hiss within him. "I will not stand idle while the abomination threaten the village. _Trust_ me, I'm not an ex-ANBU for nothing."

Fearful brown eyes pulled him from his inner musings. "But…"

_But you may die from the exertion._

"Please." She begged instead, her delicate hands grasping desperately on his arm, tears rolling down her cheek. "I cannot lose you, Husband, nor our children."

"I know, _beloved_." Ranma wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, stroking her raven dark hair soothing as he murmured agreeably with her. His body was warm against hers, and he closed his eyes, listening to the three rhythmic thumping of hearts.

"But the village is in danger! Shhh!" Ranma placed his finger against her lips, silencing her protest, opening those sad, expressive blue eyes that had drawn her to him like a moth to flame upon first sight, staring intently into her tear-blurred ones.

He lowered his voice to a soft whisper, "It's my _duty_ to protect, as a…"

_Akane gave him a sweet smile… and faded from his sight._

Final resignation. And such a beautiful, wistful smile that took her breath away. "As a ninja of the Leaf, Beloved."

Her mouth opened in a surprised gasp, before she too, began to smile through the tears, "As a ninja of the Leaf, Husband." Brown eyes hardening in determination as she stepped back, tying her hair into a ponytail.

"I'm coming with you."

-------

The battle was intense, the demon fox's Chakra engulfing the very air, choking his every breath. His body ached with his every movement, his heart thumping loudly against his ribcage, the rush of adrenaline causing tiny tremors along his shaking limbs. Ranma felt exhilarated, and alive.

_I missed this._ He admitted to himself, bounding off the treetop into a forced skid as the force of the Kyuubi's attack pushed him back. The heat of the battle, to pit himself against an opponent immensely over-powering, pushing his body to its limit to stay alive, it was a thrill that he had not allowed himself to sensate in a long time.

The stench of blood reached him, and Ranma was suddenly, painfully reminded of his purpose. _The village…_

"…_to lose yourself so completely in a dream that can be easily shattered… I couldn't understand it…"_

Shaking himself out of his musing, he speed forwards the demon, nimbly dodge the lightning-lashes of its Chakra. The hiss of serpents sang to his ears, their inky shadows slithered beneath his skin, crawling their way over his body. His nose itched with the forgotten scent of pine and moss, and Ranma smiled despite himself.

_Just like old times, eh, Umino?_ He laughed internally, recalling words of the past. The cackling wind blowing past his face, ruffling his bangs as he completely another circle, slowly, but surely, winding closer to the gigantic fox.

_Just like old times…I miss my pigtail._ Feeling the jagged edges of his hair digging into the back of his neck, he thought with some regret, remembering the days where the braid would have been whipping behind him, flying with the wind.

_"Next time we meet, I'll kill you."_

_Where is…_ Ranma took a quick glance around himself, wincing at the carnage, death surrounded him, it was everywhere within the forest, and the moon shone a beautiful silver, in a growing pool of blood.

"_Kaasan_!!!"

Ranma's attention was pulled away from his surroundings, his head snapping towards the direction of the scream. _Iruka… wha…? Oh NO!_ Realization hit him, and he looked back, and there she stood, fearless, proud, and beautiful, despite the weariness she must felt in her pregnancy.

"_No!_"

He broke out of the half-formed spiral, pushing his body to the limit as he sprint towards her, thirty feet, twenty, fifteen, just a few more steps, he leaped forward into the air, a half-strangled name tearing out of his throat, dry with fear.

A push, and chocolate eyes, widening in shock, gazing into his own.

Anger, frustration, tenderness, relief, and love flashed pass those azure orbs for an eternal instant as he tried to convert what he had felt into words.

Jaws closed around him, bones snapping with a loud crunch as he was jerked into the air.

_I love you…_

A moment of excruciating pain, and then… darkness.

-------

TIMELINE – Year Twenty, early October.

* * *

The End… for Of Dreams and Memories. It's been a nifty ride, and I'm happy to finally end this, with lethargy in writing and all. I know you've got lots of questions, but hey, I'm just history-girl, what happened before, what happened after, well, why don't you…

_Look for the stunning sequel from authoress Evil Kasumi (Lizmun): Whispers of the Sea._

And she can be motivated if you threaten her with bodily harm, preferably with a hot poker, or something of the prodding variety. Oh yeah... last note, Of Dreams and Memories serves as a semi-prologue to Evil Kasumi (Lizmun)'s Naruto fanfic, 'Midnight Confessions' (StoryID:1808098).


	23. Omake

**Of Dreams and Memories - Omake**

_Disclaimer: The concept of Ranma 1/2, Naruto, and Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, Masashi Kishimoto, and Yoshihiro Togashi. This is a product of pure amusement values, with no profits made._

**_Omake #1 –_**

Written by **Serafita** on the anifics forum, who's this really nifty guy that also helps me tons with Part 17 of Dreams and Memories, since it was from two omake-ish scenes he wrote that helped shaped a good portion of that part.

Sort of an early Halloween special from Part 22, I guess, posted with his permission:

-------

A quirked brow. "Isn't Neji still in diapers?"

She gave him a wry smile. "Fatherhood excites Hizashi much."

"Ah."

Silence. Ranma couldn't help but notice how the smile had not left her face. It seemed to increase in size ever so slowly. Her throat seemed slightly swollen too. That was odd. But why?

"I am glad, Umino-san, very glad for his companionship." Slim hands curled around her mid-section, she continued, looking out the window. "Hyuuga-sama is displeased with us… as always."

Ranma frowned. "You play a dangerous game."

"Of course, Umino-san." She bared her teeth in a strange smile. "But let us speak this matter no more."

"As you wish, Hyuuga-san." He sighed, and rubbed his eyes in resignation. As he opened them, he noticed just how... sharp her teeth were. It would be rude to ask just when this happened, but even so...

"So… umm… Have you decided on a name yet...?" Ranma drifted off as he realised that she had stood up, advancing towards him. Her smile, teeth bared, seemed to open even larger as it formed into a grin, then a yawn, and then, even wider still as not one, but a hundred writhing tongues spilled from her impossibly large jaws...

As Ranma's last traces of sanity slowly drifted away, the writhing tendrils grew eyes and gazed upon him, as she moved in to embrace him...

**_

* * *

_**

**_Omake #2 –_**

Inspired by TheClueless of anifics forum, who commented on the idea of Tsunade spending her teenage days 'burning off' energy with Orochimaru and Jiraiya… So, here's what happens when they try to add Ranma to the mix:

-------

Tsunade scowled. "I want Ranma-kun!"

Jiraiya scowled right back. "Well tough! That's two guys too many! So I want Ranma-chan!"

"No! Ranma-kun!"

"Ranma-chan!"

"Ranma-kun!"

"Ranma-chan!"

Ranma blinked at his two friends, then gave Orochimaru a small nudge. "Pss… They know we can hear them, right?"

Orochimaru shook his head, the curtain of raven hair parting slightly with the movement, revealing a steadily ticking vein on his forehead, marring his otherwise calm complexion.

Ranma sweatdropped as the argument reached to a high pitch. "So… What are they arguing about, Orochimaru?"

Serpentine gold shot him a venomous glare in reply, a pale hand clamped on to his arm, and before Ranma knew, he was dragged out of the room by the pale shinobi, the argument of 'Ranma-kun' 'Ranma-chan' still ringing faintly against his ears.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Orochimaru?" Ranma inquired tentatively after a long bout of silence, in which the two have sufficiently distanced themselves from the motel room Tsunade had rented earlier.

"… Hmm?"

Ranma hesitated, before shrugging slightly. "Why was Jiraiya wearing only leather straps?"

"…"

"And Tsunade, why did she kept stroking that bullwhip?"

"…"

"Oh, and what's an orgy?"

"…" Orochimaru emitted a growl of frustration, which Ranma ignored, blithely, and opened his mouth again.

"And I was wondering…"

"Shut. Up." The shinobi snarled, and stalked away.

Ranma blinked in confusion. "… Was it something I said?"

**_

* * *

_**

**_Omake #3 –_**

Inspired from a comment made by Caliban to Alkard, both from the anifics forum, the original statement as follows:

Caliban (to Alkard): The Kyuubi was sealed in a baby for a reason, wasn't it? Ranma has moxibution blockage, Hyuuga-induced chakra path rewrites, curse seal induced rewrites on top of that, and you want to stick the Kyuubi in there too? sounds like a recipie for blowing up the village

And with that comment:

-------

"No. No way. Not a chance. No." Ranma scowled at the toddler. "You said I died before my time, so fix it, send me back."

"But you're better off for your village dead!"

A snarl made its way out of Ranma's throat, and he was treated to the pleasant sight of watching the toddler cower, and almost gulp down his pacifier in fright. "The village is attack, and _I_ need to get back before more of us end up here! With you!"

"That's not true. You're doing a world of good dying ahead of your time." The toddler mumbled through the blue pacifier.

Ranma stood up from the chair, and glowered over the desk.

"Stop threatening me! You're as bad as Yusuke when he first died!" The curved eyes popped open, and Ranma blinked, surprised at the familiar shade of warm golden-brown. The infant plucked a small booklet from his navy blue robes, and flipped it open before reading aloud. "See, it says it right here: Umino Ran. Formally known as Saotome Ranma. Son of Saotome Genma and Nodoka. Age, thir… Hey! Give it back!"

Ranma held the booklet above his head as he read, silently mouthing the words and ignoring the ineffective jumps the baby-godling made in attempts to retrieve the booklet.

"The information is confidential! Give it back!"

"Hush. I died, so where does that rate m…" Ranma trailed to a slow stop and looked down to the God of Death with pure incredulity, jabbing a finger in the **Cause of Death** section.

"Let me get this straight. I had… Moxibustion blockage from Happosai, with Hyuuga-induced Chakra path rewrites, and Orochimaru's cursed seal-induced rewrites on top of that… and I'm suppose to die because the Yondaime was going to stick the Kyuubi in there too?"

"…Well… Yes?" Koenma offered weakly.

"What was he thinking?!"

"He was rather drunk." The godling said with a straight face.

"…That's not funny."

Koenma sighed wistfully. "I guess not. But Kurama said I need to be more comedically appealing, or else Botan will never go out with me."

"… Right. What would have happened had I umm… died when I was suppose to?"

Koenma picked up the remote, and flick on the screen. "Are you familiar with the human term: Spontaneous Combustion?"

Ranma blinked, and blinked again, and again, at the frozen frame of a giant crater in the middle of a very familiar valley.

"…"

"…"

"Huh." He flopped down into the chair weightlessly. "I guess it's good that I died early."

"Indeed." Koenma smirked, ambling to his desk, coolly composed once more. "Now, let us talk about my earlier proposition… how _do_ you feel about a job as a spirit detective…"

* * *

Important Author's Note: Not really... But anyway, some reviewers commented on the story's lack of... many things which I disagree upon, but hey, whatever. Anyhow, I think I need to make this clear: consider 'Of Dreams and Memories' an extended prologue, which is just what it is, a longer-than-average filler, before the good stuff hits, something to tidy up past history, so the readers won't get confused by the present time. It's not meant to be a story on its own, butin my opinion,it rather morphed half-way into that, good or bad? I've no idea. It's an explaination story until Evil Kasumi (Lizmun) gets her butt down in front of the computer and start writing up the goodness that shall be _Whipsers of the Sea, _and whatnot. So... bug her or something, and read _Midnight Confessions_ from her, in the meantime, because that's the ficcie this story originated from.

Well, that's it. Done! Finite! No more! For real this time! So umm… shoo! XD


End file.
